tug

Plural: tugs

Noun

• a sudden abrupt pull
• a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships
• A sudden powerful pull.
• A tugboat.
• A type of tractor used for moving trailers.
• A kind of vehicle used for conveying timber and heavy articles.
• A trace, or drawing strap, of a harness.
• A dog toy consisting of a rope, often with a knot in it.
• An iron hook of a hoisting tub, to which a tackle is affixed.
• An act of male masturbation.
• A foundationer or colleger at Eton.

Verb

Verb Forms: tugged, tugging, tugs

• To pull something with force, often repeatedly or with effort.
• pull hard
  • "The prisoner tugged at the chains"
  • "This movie tugs at the heart strings"
• strive and make an effort to reach a goal
  • "She tugged for years to make a decent living"
• tow (a vessel) with a tug
  • "The tugboat tugged the freighter into the harbor"
• carry with difficulty
• move by pulling hard
  • "The horse finally tugged the cart out of the mud"
• pull or strain hard at
  • "Each oar was tugged by several men"
• struggle in opposition
  • "She tugged and wrestled with her conflicts"
• To pull or drag with great effort.
• To pull hard repeatedly.
• To tow by tugboat.
• To masturbate.

Examples

• He had a quick tug to calm himself down before his date.
• He lost his patience trying to undo his shoe-lace, but tugging it made the knot even tighter.
• I had to TUG at my opponent’s sleeve to get him to finally make a move.
• The police officers tugged the drunkard out of the pub.

Synonyms

drive, jerk, labor, labour, lug, push, tote, towboat, tower, tugboat

Anagrams of tug