tug

/təg/

/təg/

Other forms: tugged; tugging; tugs

To tug is to forcefully pull or drag something. You might need your sister's help to tug your knee-high boots off at the end of a long day.

A child might tug at his parent's arm and a commuter might tug a rolling suitcase behind her as she enters a subway car. Something else that tugs is a tugboat — and tug is a common nickname for these boats that are designed to pull (or push) other vessels. Tug and tow share the same root word meaning "to pull" or "to lead."

Definitions of tug

1. verb

   pull hard
   “The prisoner tugged at the chains”

   “This movie tugs at the heart strings”

   type of:

   attract, draw, draw in, pull, pull in

   direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
2. verb

   pull or strain hard at
   “Each oar was tugged by several men”

   type of:

   draw, force, pull

   cause to move by pulling
3. verb

   move by pulling hard
   “The horse finally tugged the cart out of the mud”

   type of:

   displace, move

   cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
4. verb

   tow (a vessel) with a tug
   “The tugboat tugged the freighter into the harbor”

   type of:

   tow

   drag behind
5. verb

   carry with difficulty
   synonyms: lug, tote

   type of:

   carry, transport

   move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
6. verb

   strive and make an effort to reach a goal
   “She tugged for years to make a decent living”

   synonyms: drive, labor, labour, push

   bear on, push

   press, drive, or impel (someone) to action or completion of an action

   types:

   reach, strain, strive

   to exert much effort or energy

   extend oneself

   strain to the utmost

   kill oneself, overexert oneself

   strain oneself more than is healthy

   bother, inconvenience oneself, trouble, trouble oneself

   take the trouble to do something; concern oneself

   type of:

   fight, struggle

   make a strenuous or labored effort
7. verb

   struggle in opposition
   “She tugged and wrestled with her conflicts”

   type of:

   contend, fight, struggle

   be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
8. noun

   a sudden abrupt pull
   synonyms: jerk, yank

   type of:

   pull, pulling

   the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
9. noun

   a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships
   synonyms: towboat, tower, tugboat

   type of:

   boat

   a small vessel for travel on water