1
as in pulling
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 laboring
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 tugging
The result is many annoyed fan owners tugging vigorously on the chain, only to have their fan suddenly turn into an in-home airplane propeller.
—
Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 5 Feb. 2026
Start checking around four weeks after planting by gently tugging on the cutting.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 31 Jan. 2026
This could get strange, with punk, metal, pop, and rock factions tugging in multiple directions.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
To keep little ones comfortable—and prevent them from tugging on the wires or moving too much—researchers had babies sit on a parent’s lap and provided toys to keep their hands busy.
—Clarissa Brincat, Parents, 29 Jan. 2026
When one attempts to selectively remove weft threads, tugging and pulling them away from neighboring strands as well as the warp around which they are woven, the integrity of the fabric is breached.
—Scott Santarosa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
The long day weighs on me, tugging at my eyelids.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
Nellie sat cross-legged on her bed, tugging her knees into her chest.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Pisces February 19 – March 20 Something is tugging at your conscience today.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2026
Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 5 Feb. 2026
Start checking around four weeks after planting by gently tugging on the cutting.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 31 Jan. 2026
This could get strange, with punk, metal, pop, and rock factions tugging in multiple directions.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
To keep little ones comfortable—and prevent them from tugging on the wires or moving too much—researchers had babies sit on a parent’s lap and provided toys to keep their hands busy.
—Clarissa Brincat, Parents, 29 Jan. 2026
When one attempts to selectively remove weft threads, tugging and pulling them away from neighboring strands as well as the warp around which they are woven, the integrity of the fabric is breached.
—Scott Santarosa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
The long day weighs on me, tugging at my eyelids.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
Nellie sat cross-legged on her bed, tugging her knees into her chest.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Pisces February 19 – March 20 Something is tugging at your conscience today.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugging
Verb
-
After that setback, the Seahawks lost their edge to stay ahead of a league designed to keep pulling teams toward the middle.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Yet the final also required Vonn to push her knee further than in either of her two training runs, when she could be seen pulling back around some turns so as not to exert too much strain before the main event.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The son of a medical-gas plumber who worked night shifts, Darnold just kept laboring at his craft.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
-
In the summer of 2024, UNICEF’s representative in Congo suggested that 361,000 children might be laboring in mines in southern Congo, though this number seems implausibly high and drew quick opprobrium from Congolese NGOs that work on the issue.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Her car was then followed by Thomas Stanko, in a white pickup truck, who was hauling a trailer with a backhoe loaded on it.—
Erika Stanish,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
They’re further complicated by the fact that the United States’ infrastructure has glaring weak points, making the simplest solution of hauling more weight ill-advised at best.—
Caleb Jacobs,
The Drive,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bear, struggling with drug addiction, had no one urging her to fight the state’s case.—
Raynee Howell,
Oklahoma Watch,
9 Feb. 2026
-
He’s trapped in rolling crises of his own making and is struggling to sell voters on the idea of a strong American economy.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Trump’s dragging his own name and America’s name in the muck.—
Maureen Dowd,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Their misery was compounded by Szoboszlai’s dismissal for dragging back Erling Haaland deep into stoppage time when the net was gaping, with goalkeeper Alisson marooned upfield.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There are filmmakers in Hollywood now, working under the same conditions — bloody conflict abroad, corruption in politics, monolithic mainstream entertainment — and striving for a similar freedom.—
Paul Fischer,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Learning a new skill is key to staying relevant in what Jake confirmed is the rapidly evolving K-pop universe, one that is quick to react to trends and changes as the industry cranks out a steady stream of new acts, each striving to carve a unique lane to break through to global audiences.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The launcher carries six 300 mm rockets and is operated by a small crew working from within an armored cabin designed to protect against shrapnel and small-arms fire, according to reports.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
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The bold plan did not pan out, and NASA is currently working to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028 — the timeframe the agency had been working toward in the Obama era.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Kotting, who is also trying to absorb higher Medicare premiums and grocery prices, was hoping to keep her natural gas bills down this winter by sealing two upstairs bedrooms and leaving them unheated.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
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Whether Silicon Valley’s early embrace becomes an asset or a liability may depend on how voters interpret the flood of tech money — as proof of confidence in a pragmatic mayor or as a sign that the industry is trying to shape the state’s political future.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugging. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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