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
Relevance
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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of tugs
Reuters,
NBC news,
24 June 2026
Your 8th House of Intimacy and Resources tugs on play as the intuitive Moon squares messenger Mercury in your 5th House of Creativity.
—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
23 June 2026
Max tugs at my shirt for a water bottle.
—
Joseph Trinidad,
Longreads,
16 June 2026
In contrast to conventional airport tugs, the electric TaxiBot is controlled directly by the pilot from the cockpit.
—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
Its tech is being used to power the world’s first electric tugs that are about to go into service at the Port of Long Beach, under a deal worth $160 million announced in late 2025.
—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
In addition to increasing access, Taba said, ferries can offer transit redundancy in emergencies — as the city saw on 9/11, when an armada of tugs, ferries and sightseeing boats evacuated people trapped on the southern tip of Manhattan after the terrorist attacks.
—
Julia Press,
Bloomberg,
22 May 2026
Some companies are designing tugs that could boost missions from their drop-off orbits to higher altitudes, potentially even to the Moon or beyond the Solar System.
—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
Gravity from huge superclusters tugs on the motions of galaxies across the universe, drawing them closer.
—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 May 2026
Amber Harding Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
There’s an elastic tension in the way that a character like Mal wants to confess, wants to share in community, and also wants to disappear, a situation that tugs at her relationships with her friends and with the audience.
—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
The immediacy of svn4vr’s arrangements always tugs the heartstrings.
—
H.d. Angel,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2026
Young deftly tugs readers into an atmospheric novel perfect for spring book clubs.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
The moody Moon tugs at vigorous Mars, resulting in a square that puts pressure on your wary 8th house and your typically more light-hearted 5th house.
—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Mar. 2026
The pacing slackens a little as the complicated process inches forward, but the ending tugs the heartstrings in enormously satisfying ways.
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Isabelle slides off Sarah’s lap, flings the towel, pulls on her swimming mask, grabs her mom’s hand and tugs her toward the pool.
—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Riley tugs the false eyelashes off.
—
Alex Ross,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
Those vessels are smaller commercial ships, including five smaller oil tankers, coastal ships and tugs, according to analysis of the vessels waiting.
—
Reuters,
NBC news,
24 June 2026
Your 8th House of Intimacy and Resources tugs on play as the intuitive Moon squares messenger Mercury in your 5th House of Creativity.
—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
23 June 2026
Max tugs at my shirt for a water bottle.
—
Joseph Trinidad,
Longreads,
16 June 2026
In contrast to conventional airport tugs, the electric TaxiBot is controlled directly by the pilot from the cockpit.
—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
Its tech is being used to power the world’s first electric tugs that are about to go into service at the Port of Long Beach, under a deal worth $160 million announced in late 2025.
—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
In addition to increasing access, Taba said, ferries can offer transit redundancy in emergencies — as the city saw on 9/11, when an armada of tugs, ferries and sightseeing boats evacuated people trapped on the southern tip of Manhattan after the terrorist attacks.
—
Julia Press,
Bloomberg,
22 May 2026
Some companies are designing tugs that could boost missions from their drop-off orbits to higher altitudes, potentially even to the Moon or beyond the Solar System.
—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
Gravity from huge superclusters tugs on the motions of galaxies across the universe, drawing them closer.
—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 May 2026
Verb
Just across the state line, Alabama’s DeSoto State Park and Little River Canyon are also wonderful for stunning views, hikes and whatever else tugs your trotline.
—
Amber Harding Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
There’s an elastic tension in the way that a character like Mal wants to confess, wants to share in community, and also wants to disappear, a situation that tugs at her relationships with her friends and with the audience.
—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
The immediacy of svn4vr’s arrangements always tugs the heartstrings.
—
H.d. Angel,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2026
Young deftly tugs readers into an atmospheric novel perfect for spring book clubs.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
The moody Moon tugs at vigorous Mars, resulting in a square that puts pressure on your wary 8th house and your typically more light-hearted 5th house.
—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Mar. 2026
The pacing slackens a little as the complicated process inches forward, but the ending tugs the heartstrings in enormously satisfying ways.
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Isabelle slides off Sarah’s lap, flings the towel, pulls on her swimming mask, grabs her mom’s hand and tugs her toward the pool.
—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Riley tugs the false eyelashes off.
—
Alex Ross,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugs
Noun
-
Irwin, who is the sister of former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Trent Irwin, recorded 94 flag pulls and 15 interceptions as a safety.
-
Metadata, logs and API pulls confirm a token was spent and a call was made.
Verb
-
Having already been booked for a foul on Brobbey, Fofana hauls down Wilson Isidor and earns his club’s eighth red card of the Premier League season.
-
According to the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, the Thunderbirds cost taxpayers about $35 million a year in salaries, aircraft, fuel, rehearsals and the C-17 cargo plane that hauls 50-plus support crew and spare parts to every stop on the tour.
Verb
-
During contests, their stomachs stretch, heart rates rise, and digestion struggles to keep up, causing intense physical stress.
-
Her 12-year-old son, Whitman, has autism and a neurological disorder called apraxia, in which the brain struggles to tell muscles how to move to form words or perform other motor skills.
Noun
-
The yanks are coming, the yanks are coming!
Verb
-
Stanford research on more than 100,000 developers found that teams often feel quicker with AI early on, while at the same time racking up technical debt that drags on them later.
-
Frieson then appears, drags her by the arm, and closes the door.
Verb
-
Perusing the menu online provides insight into how truly diverse Sushi Sushi strives to be.
-
While leadership strives to accelerate AI investment, many workers, particularly in frontline and junior positions, still don’t understand how the technology will impact their daily responsibilities or long-term career paths.
Noun
-
After Game 4, jerks were throwing things at Victor Wembanyama.
-
Something from this article might put me on some Ben Shapiro list, where a bunch of jerks literally will just call me ‘f****t’ or worse on my social media.
Verb
-
Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that.
Cite this Entry
“Tugs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugs. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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