tugged; tugging
1
: to pull or strain hard at
3
: to tow with a tugboat
tugger
noun
tugrik, tugriks
Synonyms
Examples of tug in a Sentence
Verb
I felt someone tugging on my sleeve.
She tugged the cord until the plug came out of the wall socket.
Noun
He felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.
gave the man in front a tug on his shirtsleeve as a sign that he was supposed to step aside
Recent Examples on the Web
Iman Balagam, Vogue, 5 Aug. 2024
During his triumphant first-round doubles match with Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal was tugging at the bandage around his leg.
—NBC News, 28 July 2024
Kimaya Basu, Baltimore Sun, 8 Aug. 2024
The finale of the event was the tug of war competition, and King Charles presented the trophy to the winning team.
—Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 5 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tug 
Verb
According to Choi, the fabric is exceptionally gentle, removing makeup without tugging on the skin as some wipes do.
—Iman Balagam, Vogue, 5 Aug. 2024
During his triumphant first-round doubles match with Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal was tugging at the bandage around his leg.
—NBC News, 28 July 2024
Noun
What this means is that there is a tug of war in the marketplace of ideas.
—Kimaya Basu, Baltimore Sun, 8 Aug. 2024
The finale of the event was the tug of war competition, and King Charles presented the trophy to the winning team.
—Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 5 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tug
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tug
Cite this Entry
“Tug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tug. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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