tug

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈtʌg/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/tʌg/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(tug)

Inflections of 'tug' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
tugs
v 3rd person singular
tugging
v pres p
tugged
v past
tugged
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
tug /tʌg/USA pronunciation   v., tugged, tug•ging, n. 
v. 
  1. to pull at with force or effort: [~ + object]He tugged his beard while he thought over the question.[~ + at + object]to tug at his beard.
  2. to move (something) by pulling with force:[~ + object]She tugged the trunk into the closet.

n. [countable]
  1. an act or instance of tugging;
    pull.
  2. Naval Termstugboat.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
tug (tug),USA pronunciation  v., tugged, tug•ging, n. 

v.t. 
  1. to pull at with force, vigor, or effort.
  2. to move by pulling forcibly;
    drag;
    haul.
  3. Nautical, Naval Termsto tow (a vessel) by means of a tugboat.

v.i. 
  1. to pull with force or effort:to tug at a stuck drawer.
  2. to strive hard;
    labor;
    toil.

n. 
  1. an act or instance of tugging;
    pull;
    haul.
  2. a strenuous contest between opposing forces, groups, or persons;
    struggle:the tug of young minds in a seminar.
  3. Naval Termstugboat.
  4. that by which something is tugged, as a rope or chain.
  5. (on a harness)
    • trace2 (def. 1).
    • any of various supporting or pulling parts.
  • 1175–1225; Middle English toggen to play-wrestle, contend; akin to Old English togian to tow1
tug′ger, n. 
tug′less, adj. 
    1. yank, jerk, wrench.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
tug /tʌɡ/ vb (tugs, tugging, tugged)
  1. when intr, sometimes followed by at: to pull or drag with sharp or powerful movements
  2. (transitive) to tow (a vessel) by means of a tug
 n
  1. a strong pull or jerk
  2. Also called: tugboat, towboat a boat with a powerful engine, used for towing barges, ships, etc
  3. a hard struggle or fight
  4. a less common word for trace2
Etymology: 13th Century: related to Old English tēon to tow1ˈtugger n
'tug' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
hitch - lorry - pluck - tie - towboat - trice - tuck - tug-of-love - tug-of-war - yank - zugzwang - anchor - auxiliary - by - chugger - conduce - draw - hame tug - haul - heartstrings - lug - pull - tear - tow - tugboat - tug of war - twitch - shrug - slap - strappado
In Lists: 2020 Mar, more...
Collocations: a [quick, forceful, mighty, slight] tug, are playing tug-of-war, give the [rope, door] a tug, more...

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