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
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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
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Recent Examples of tugs
New Atlas, 6 Dec. 2025
The first, known as the radial velocity technique, looks for slight wobbles in the star’s position, as the gravity of an orbiting exoplanet tugs it one way and then the other.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 1 Dec. 2025
Exploring the joys and heartbreak of raising children from a mother’s perspective tugs at the heart.
—Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Video showed Turkish tugs tackling an extensive fire on board the ship about 30 miles off the Turkish coast.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
So Hadsel tied a string to Splashand trained him to respond to a specific number of tugs.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
Less obvious is how the Earth itself tugs at the solid rocky surface of the moon.
—Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Throughout his time at the Palace, several women have reported feeling tugs on their hair or having the sensation that someone is lingering right over their shoulder.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 8 Oct. 2025
Firefly makes rockets, space tugs and lunar landers.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2025
Campaign Evolved is a safe bet in an increasingly unstable market that tugs on the heartstrings of veteran fans while pulling in a whole new community of potential PlayStation players conveniently in time for its big anniversary.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
On Earth, the result is the changing ocean tides as our moon tugs at the water.
—Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Graff tugs the reader from the earliest experiments in radiation to the young pilots who made an ashy hole of Nagasaki.
—Book Marks
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
It’s been over 50 years since viewers first set foot in Walnut Grove, but NBC’s Little House on the Prairie still tugs at our heartstrings today.
—Kelly Martinez, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Noun
These motorcycles were so well-built that they were even employed in both World Wars, mainly as dispatch bikes and sidecar tugs for the British armed forces.
—New Atlas, 6 Dec. 2025
The first, known as the radial velocity technique, looks for slight wobbles in the star’s position, as the gravity of an orbiting exoplanet tugs it one way and then the other.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 1 Dec. 2025
Exploring the joys and heartbreak of raising children from a mother’s perspective tugs at the heart.
—Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Video showed Turkish tugs tackling an extensive fire on board the ship about 30 miles off the Turkish coast.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
So Hadsel tied a string to Splashand trained him to respond to a specific number of tugs.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
Less obvious is how the Earth itself tugs at the solid rocky surface of the moon.
—Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Throughout his time at the Palace, several women have reported feeling tugs on their hair or having the sensation that someone is lingering right over their shoulder.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 8 Oct. 2025
Firefly makes rockets, space tugs and lunar landers.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
The idea of moving to America constantly tugs at rising singer-songwriter Larissa Lambert.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2025
Campaign Evolved is a safe bet in an increasingly unstable market that tugs on the heartstrings of veteran fans while pulling in a whole new community of potential PlayStation players conveniently in time for its big anniversary.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
On Earth, the result is the changing ocean tides as our moon tugs at the water.
—Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Graff tugs the reader from the earliest experiments in radiation to the young pilots who made an ashy hole of Nagasaki.
—Book Marks
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
It’s been over 50 years since viewers first set foot in Walnut Grove, but NBC’s Little House on the Prairie still tugs at our heartstrings today.
—Kelly Martinez, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugs
Noun
-
Low-Quality Fixtures Finishes and fixtures—like faucets and lights, to door hardware and drawer pulls—might seem like an easy place to save on cost, but experts, designers, and Redditors alike often warn that cheap fixtures will quickly reveal their flaws.—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Make sure to clean and polish knobs and pulls.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Global warming could doom them Under no light but the stars, a green sea turtle hauls herself out of the surf and onto the familiar sand of Alagadi Beach on the northern coast of Cyprus.—
Elizabeth Preston,
Scientific American,
16 Dec. 2025
-
The Maverick, which is available in five trims, costs less than $29,000 for the XL model, hauls 1,500 lbs and tows up to 4,000 lbs.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
28 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Haunted by her own traumas and hidden scars, Kitts struggles to piece together the clues and separate Raevyn’s madness from an even more troubling reality.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
-
The chain’s anniversary comes as the restaurant industry struggles with declining traffic.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Iwobi’s movement drags Ladislav Krejci wider, increasing the space between the lines and creating a clear passing angle for Calvin Bassey.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
This not-quite-title song, which is nearly eight minutes long, is a sort of mini-suite, opening with a dog barking, giving way to an acoustic-guitar melody accompanying polyphonic vocals, then becoming electric and crashingly alive, until the relentless screech of a guitar drags you to the end.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The development comes as Netflix strives to become more competitive with its peers in the battle to win ad dollars from Madison Avenue.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Everyone strives for that state and pours their love into it.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Instead, the Engel-Jackson family is more run-of-the-mill awful — a recognizable pack of self-serving jerks more focused on the appearance of cheer than any real kindness.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
12 Dec. 2025
-
That rich people sure can be easily manipulable jerks?—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
As a woman whose dawning realization infests and wrenches apart her family, Collette turns in one of the most towering horror performances in memory.—
Dennis Perkins,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Torque wrenches are used to apply a specific amount of torque to a nut or bolt.—
Keenan Thompson,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The fundraiser benefits Hamilton's CARES Foundation, an organization that works with cancer research centers and emphasizes finding cures that prevent long-term harm to patients.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The chip that works this optical magic is not much to see.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tugs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugs. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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