1
as in pulled
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
tugged on the door until it opened
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Sure, the sequence largely swipes away hints given prior that Bowser was an absent father, but in a film where most of the characters veer toward the blandly nice, watching a dad and his son bond over their same sociopathic tendencies was the only moment that tugged at the heartstrings.
—
Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
Smoldering at the camera, the star—who’s currently dating Scooter Braun—tugged down the straps of the plum-chocolate bra and covered her chest with her hands.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 7 Mar. 2026
When owner Nicholas Iwaniuk saw his dog Shadow, the half Australian shepherd, half Australian cattle dog tugged at her leash, charged forward and jumped into his arms.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
From life’s first moments, multiplying cells are squished, stretched, and tugged to form tissues that bend and twist into organs that expand and contract.
—Clare Watson, Quanta Magazine, 27 Feb. 2026
And when Sky and Virginia were playing in a backyard sandpit one day, her little brother tugged on her T-shirt, pointing toward a snake.
—Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Baseball still tugged at his heart.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
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
Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
Smoldering at the camera, the star—who’s currently dating Scooter Braun—tugged down the straps of the plum-chocolate bra and covered her chest with her hands.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 7 Mar. 2026
When owner Nicholas Iwaniuk saw his dog Shadow, the half Australian shepherd, half Australian cattle dog tugged at her leash, charged forward and jumped into his arms.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
From life’s first moments, multiplying cells are squished, stretched, and tugged to form tissues that bend and twist into organs that expand and contract.
—Clare Watson, Quanta Magazine, 27 Feb. 2026
And when Sky and Virginia were playing in a backyard sandpit one day, her little brother tugged on her T-shirt, pointing toward a snake.
—Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Baseball still tugged at his heart.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugged
Verb
-
That’s when Talley allegedly pulled the pistol out from under a blanket, shooting one officer in the face and a second in the chin, authorities said.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The Dodgers pulled within 2-1 in the eighth inning when Freddie Freeman singled with one out to put runners on the corners and Smith delivered an RBI single to right field off of right-hander Michael Petersen.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After the fact, Mattel struggled to launch a popular action figure based on original IP.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
-
And Russia has struggled to replenish its military ranks amid horrific casualties on the Ukrainian front line.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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About Averitt Express Averitt was started in 1958 as Livingston Merchant’s Co-op, a small trucking company that hauled dry goods in Tennessee, according to the company’s website.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Apr. 2026
-
On the north side of Texas 114, trucks hauled trailers filled with debris or were empty waiting to be loaded.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In many years on dairy farms, the worker often labored for 10 hours with no breaks.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Lamarck surely labored over these Romantic effusions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Baselitz was charged with offending public morality; the case dragged on for two years before being dismissed, but his reputation was cemented.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
1 May 2026
-
But whether this person galumphed, ambled, or dragged herself up the trail is a matter of what subtleties her movement suggested to you.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, the Victorville Fire Department, and the Apple Valley Fire District worked together to fight the blaze, which burned 19 acres and is 50% contained as of late Saturday afternoon.—
Blanca Begert,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
-
Martinez easily worked her way into the box and slotted the ball home to allow the Spirit to retake the lead at 3-2.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Johnson for months endeavored to appoint his ally ex-Ald.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Along the way, Pollan endeavored to find answers to some of the most fundamental questions of existence, like why is there a subjective self at all?—
Nick Hilden,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugged. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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