as in pulls
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
gave the man in front a tug on his shirtsleeve as a sign that he was supposed to step aside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in struggles
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tugs
Reuters,
NBC news,
24 June 2026
Your 8th House of Intimacy and Resources tugs on play as the intuitive Moon squares messenger Mercury in your 5th House of Creativity.
—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
23 June 2026
Max tugs at my shirt for a water bottle.
—
Joseph Trinidad,
Longreads,
16 June 2026
In contrast to conventional airport tugs, the electric TaxiBot is controlled directly by the pilot from the cockpit.
—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
Its tech is being used to power the world’s first electric tugs that are about to go into service at the Port of Long Beach, under a deal worth $160 million announced in late 2025.
—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
In addition to increasing access, Taba said, ferries can offer transit redundancy in emergencies — as the city saw on 9/11, when an armada of tugs, ferries and sightseeing boats evacuated people trapped on the southern tip of Manhattan after the terrorist attacks.
—
Julia Press,
Bloomberg,
22 May 2026
Some companies are designing tugs that could boost missions from their drop-off orbits to higher altitudes, potentially even to the Moon or beyond the Solar System.
—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
Gravity from huge superclusters tugs on the motions of galaxies across the universe, drawing them closer.
—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 May 2026
Amber Harding Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
There’s an elastic tension in the way that a character like Mal wants to confess, wants to share in community, and also wants to disappear, a situation that tugs at her relationships with her friends and with the audience.
—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
The immediacy of svn4vr’s arrangements always tugs the heartstrings.
—
H.d. Angel,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2026
Young deftly tugs readers into an atmospheric novel perfect for spring book clubs.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
The moody Moon tugs at vigorous Mars, resulting in a square that puts pressure on your wary 8th house and your typically more light-hearted 5th house.
—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Mar. 2026
The pacing slackens a little as the complicated process inches forward, but the ending tugs the heartstrings in enormously satisfying ways.
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Isabelle slides off Sarah’s lap, flings the towel, pulls on her swimming mask, grabs her mom’s hand and tugs her toward the pool.
—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Riley tugs the false eyelashes off.
—
Alex Ross,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
Those vessels are smaller commercial ships, including five smaller oil tankers, coastal ships and tugs, according to analysis of the vessels waiting.
—
Reuters,
NBC news,
24 June 2026
Your 8th House of Intimacy and Resources tugs on play as the intuitive Moon squares messenger Mercury in your 5th House of Creativity.
—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
23 June 2026
Max tugs at my shirt for a water bottle.
—
Joseph Trinidad,
Longreads,
16 June 2026
In contrast to conventional airport tugs, the electric TaxiBot is controlled directly by the pilot from the cockpit.
—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
Its tech is being used to power the world’s first electric tugs that are about to go into service at the Port of Long Beach, under a deal worth $160 million announced in late 2025.
—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
In addition to increasing access, Taba said, ferries can offer transit redundancy in emergencies — as the city saw on 9/11, when an armada of tugs, ferries and sightseeing boats evacuated people trapped on the southern tip of Manhattan after the terrorist attacks.
—
Julia Press,
Bloomberg,
22 May 2026
Some companies are designing tugs that could boost missions from their drop-off orbits to higher altitudes, potentially even to the Moon or beyond the Solar System.
—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
Gravity from huge superclusters tugs on the motions of galaxies across the universe, drawing them closer.
—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 May 2026
Verb
Just across the state line, Alabama’s DeSoto State Park and Little River Canyon are also wonderful for stunning views, hikes and whatever else tugs your trotline.
—
Amber Harding Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
There’s an elastic tension in the way that a character like Mal wants to confess, wants to share in community, and also wants to disappear, a situation that tugs at her relationships with her friends and with the audience.
—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
The immediacy of svn4vr’s arrangements always tugs the heartstrings.
—
H.d. Angel,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2026
Young deftly tugs readers into an atmospheric novel perfect for spring book clubs.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
The moody Moon tugs at vigorous Mars, resulting in a square that puts pressure on your wary 8th house and your typically more light-hearted 5th house.
—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Mar. 2026
The pacing slackens a little as the complicated process inches forward, but the ending tugs the heartstrings in enormously satisfying ways.
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Isabelle slides off Sarah’s lap, flings the towel, pulls on her swimming mask, grabs her mom’s hand and tugs her toward the pool.
—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Riley tugs the false eyelashes off.
—
Alex Ross,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugs
Noun
-
Irwin, who is the sister of former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Trent Irwin, recorded 94 flag pulls and 15 interceptions as a safety.
-
Metadata, logs and API pulls confirm a token was spent and a call was made.
Verb
-
Having already been booked for a foul on Brobbey, Fofana hauls down Wilson Isidor and earns his club’s eighth red card of the Premier League season.
-
According to the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, the Thunderbirds cost taxpayers about $35 million a year in salaries, aircraft, fuel, rehearsals and the C-17 cargo plane that hauls 50-plus support crew and spare parts to every stop on the tour.
Verb
-
Laila struggles to balance her musicianship with her social life.
-
In Proof, how has playing Robert, who’s brilliant but also struggles with mental health, stretched or transformed your range?
Noun
-
The yanks are coming, the yanks are coming!
Verb
-
There’s a sense that Kaprizov depends too much on Zuccarello and that Zuccarello drags Kaprizov into the east-west game that’s the opposite of how the Wild want to play.
-
As the search drags on, the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners on Tuesday commended police for their efforts after weeks of shooting incidents brought international attention to the city’s gun violence problem as thousands of soccer fans visit for the FIFA World Cup.
Verb
-
Alan Stanton said the conservative county strives not to overregulate in general.
-
New legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of senators strives to add new aircraft to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunter fleet and codify the agency’s role in meteorological research.
Noun
-
After Game 4, jerks were throwing things at Victor Wembanyama.
-
Something from this article might put me on some Ben Shapiro list, where a bunch of jerks literally will just call me ‘f****t’ or worse on my social media.
Verb
-
Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that.
Cite this Entry
“Tugs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugs. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
