1
as in pulling
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
tugged on the door until it opened
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of tugging
Of course, amid the drama tugging at viewers’ heartstrings, the show will, in following 9-1-1 tradition, feature larger-than-life rescues, including of one tech billionaire (played by Mark Consuelos) who is swallowed by a whale.
—
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
The wind howled, rattling metal signs and tugging at our clothes as the dust swallowed everything in sight.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The heart-tugging electric piano intro evokes a vast beach at sunset.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
The wind howled, rattling metal signs and tugging at our clothes as the dust swallowed everything in sight.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The heart-tugging electric piano intro evokes a vast beach at sunset.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugging
Verb
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Running back Henry Rutledge is awaiting the results of an MRI for a lower-body injury after pulling himself after playing five snaps against North Carolina.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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Companies that committed to DEI efforts and made public statements are now pulling back from those policies, editing their websites, disbanding employee resource groups, and quietly abandoning inclusive hiring goals.—
C200,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Chiefs players spent training camp laboring at hot, humid Missouri Western State University.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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During that season Clark was laboring to teach all his defensive linemen a new technique to use, and players would have to film themselves working on it, and send it into the coaches.—
Omar Kelly
August 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Crews are also engaged in mopping up, addressing hot spots, and back-hauling equipment on the eastern, southern, and western sides of the fire.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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And it’s mostly designed to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon rockets by hauling satellites and other cargo to Earth’s orbit at a fraction of the price of older technologies.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Apart from buying struggling retailers, Barnes & Noble has expanded its physical footprint.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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Despite the additional funding, the Advocate pointed out that some TAC offices were already struggling—as of April 15, 2025, 239 were understaffed and 21 were unstaffed.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sesame and potato as a combo is, in fact, reminiscent of the days of our collective childhoods, when experimentation looked like dragging Wendy’s fries through a vanilla Frosty.—
Lyndsay C. Green,
Freep.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Samuel cut inside off an excellent lead block by Croskey-Merritt and shed nickel back Dru Phillips’ tackle attempt before dragging linebacker Bobby Okereke with him to the goal line for a touchdown.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The focus is on TV shows, movies and digital content that tell the personal stories of athletes, the emotional stakes of competition and striving for athletic excellence.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
12 Sep. 2025
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Chronic striving has its downsides, though.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At the same time, working collectively doesn’t always mean things move quickly.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
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What began as a chance to build a sales team and achieve financial independence turned into a mission to serve working families.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Every day brings a new word, and everyone around the world is trying to solve the same puzzle.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Young committed to trying to help the deployment strengthen the community without distracting from ongoing law enforcement efforts.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugging. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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