1
as in pulled
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 struggled
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
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Recent Examples of tugged
Yelkur ranked Google’s Gemini commercial about imagining a new home as one of the most emotionally appealing, likeable ads that tugged at the heartstrings.
—
Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
After a few demonstrations, Destiny tugged the cord the way Carol showed us, and the bike roared to life.
—Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
The silicone prosthetics were incredibly thin, which meant that putting a ring through them could rip them if they were accidentally tugged or pulled too hard.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 3 Feb. 2026
Heartstrings are tugged as what appear to be hardworking, hard-loving individuals receive aesthetic and material upgrades.
—Rich Juzwiak, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
The penalty was awarded following a VAR check by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala after Diaz had been tugged to the ground by Senegal fullback El Hadji Malick Diouf while defending a corner five minutes into stoppage time.
—Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
The Carolina Panthers saw their season come to an end in a way that tugged on all sorts of emotions — after a game that was equal parts thrilling and blissful and heartbreaking.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Jan. 2026
His administration’s agenda has tugged the law to its limits on several occasions, and is currently undergoing multiple court battles on issues ranging from immigration to tariffs.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
In fact, one of my most vivid memories was sitting between my mother’s legs getting my hair brushed, tugged, and pulled into a low, sleek bun for my track meets.
—Essence, 18 Dec. 2025
Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
After a few demonstrations, Destiny tugged the cord the way Carol showed us, and the bike roared to life.
—Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
The silicone prosthetics were incredibly thin, which meant that putting a ring through them could rip them if they were accidentally tugged or pulled too hard.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 3 Feb. 2026
Heartstrings are tugged as what appear to be hardworking, hard-loving individuals receive aesthetic and material upgrades.
—Rich Juzwiak, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
The penalty was awarded following a VAR check by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala after Diaz had been tugged to the ground by Senegal fullback El Hadji Malick Diouf while defending a corner five minutes into stoppage time.
—Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
The Carolina Panthers saw their season come to an end in a way that tugged on all sorts of emotions — after a game that was equal parts thrilling and blissful and heartbreaking.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Jan. 2026
His administration’s agenda has tugged the law to its limits on several occasions, and is currently undergoing multiple court battles on issues ranging from immigration to tariffs.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
In fact, one of my most vivid memories was sitting between my mother’s legs getting my hair brushed, tugged, and pulled into a low, sleek bun for my track meets.
—Essence, 18 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugged
Verb
-
At one point, the individual appears to tilt their head away from a doorbell camera, hold a flashlight in their mouth and attempt to cover the lens with a gloved hand and what looked like part of a plant pulled from the yard.—
Bradford Betz , Matt Finn,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Wills pulled together a men’s fashion show with local and national celebrities, followed by dinner, dancing and a movie.—
Mark Woolsey,
AJC.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The results showed that while standard chemical leaching struggled without gravity to move fluids, the microbes didn’t blink.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The passenger was able to exit the truck while the suspect, still armed with the knife, struggled with the driver.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Enter Tyrannio, a Greek specialist in literature and libraries, owner of some 30,000 scrolls and famed expert on Aristotle — in fact, the same man responsible for restoring the philosopher’s tattered library after it was hauled to Rome.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Seals hauled out on the edges of the open water.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
When the novel opens in Florence, in 1557, the body of the painter Jacopo da Pontormo lies in the chapel of San Lorenzo—in front of the frescoes he’d labored over for a decade, with a painter’s chisel stuck in his heart.—
Bekah Waalkes,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Johnson labored through a tender calf, cramping and fatigue.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The beat stood out in part because expectations had been so low after a stalling labor market grew more dire as the year dragged on.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
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During her arrest in December, security forces beat the activist repeatedly and dragged her by the hair, tearing sections of her scalp, and continued to beat her in the transport vehicle, the Nobel Committee said in a statement issued earlier Wednesday.—
Jomana Karadsheh,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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More famously, Sven Marquardt, worked as a selector for Berghain for almost two decades.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Feb. 2026
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The move to Connecticut came later, and Bessette also worked throughout her teen-age years.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One month later, Turning Point’s flagship conference descended into recriminations over the very controversies and conspiracies that its founder had endeavored so assiduously to suppress.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2026
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During his short time in office, Garfield endeavored to clean up the government.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugged. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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