1
as in pulling
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
tugged on the door until it opened
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in laboring
to devote serious and sustained effort
she's tugged all her life to get to where she is now in the business world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugging
Verb
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Goldy still has one of those markers - excessive pulling - sitting unused in front of him.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes,
3 Jan. 2025 -
The Thunder trailed by 16 in the first half before pulling within 52-48 at halftime.—
Austin Knoblauch,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The Mets’ 3-1 Opening Day loss to the Houston Astros at Daikin Park featured a base-running blunder, a botched double play and a starting pitcher who was laboring by the fourth inning and was removed with two outs in the fifth.—
Abbey Mastracco,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2025
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The Mets’ 3-1 Opening Day loss to the Houston Astros at Daikin Park featured a baserunning blunder, a botched double play and a starting pitcher who was laboring by the fourth inning and was removed with two outs in the fifth.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Forty farmers supply this dairy, hauling milk here twice a day.—
Betsy Andrews,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Apr. 2025
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As the largest airlifter in the American fleet, this massive aircraft plays a critical role in strategic operations—hauling troops, equipment, helicopters, and even entire military bases across continents in a single flight.—
Interesting Engineering,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But because of passenger complaints and the need to revitalize a struggling tourist economy, the government adopted new regulations last month that will force a change in these habits.—
Natasha Frost,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2025
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The state has grown increasingly reliant on unlicensed teachers because schools are struggling to retain experienced educators.—
Silas Allen,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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This means going beyond policies and quotas, striving instead for cultural norms where differences are not only accepted but celebrated.—
Mo Hamzian,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
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By contrast, the sneaker trends that have defined the latter half of this year–and those forecast for next–suggest many people are striving for anti-mainstream designs.—
Alice Cary,
Vogue,
26 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The City is Ours This City is Ours is the story of Michael (James Nelson-Joyce), a man who, for all of his adult life, has been involved in organized crime, working for his friend and the gang leader Ronnie (Sean Bean).—
Lily Ford,
The Hollywood Reporter,
27 Dec. 2024
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Before coming to The Athletic, Weiss spent a decade working for the government, primarily as a compliance bank regulator.—
Jared Weiss,
The Athletic,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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However, this lumpy performance has been frustrating for investors trying to time the market rather than maintain a constant exposure to small caps.—
Bret Kenwell,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
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New York police on Monday were trying to determine why someone set a woman ablaze board a train in Brooklyn in a fatal attack drawing outrage from city and state leaders who have been laboring to make the trains safer.—
John Bacon,
USA TODAY,
24 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Tugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugging. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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