tug
[verb]
Synonyms:
- pull, jerk, wrench, yank
[noun]
Synonyms:
- pull, jerk, yank

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English Thesaurus: pull, tug, drag, haul, heave, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. tug¹ /tʌɡ/ verb (past tense and past participle tugged, present participle tugging)

1. [intransitive and transitive] to pull with one or more short, quick pulls:
The woman gently tugged his arm.
tug at/on something
Joe was tugging at her sleeve.

2. [transitive always + adverb/preposition] British English to pull a piece of clothing quickly onto your body
tug something on
Alice was tugging on a sweater.

3. tug at sb’s heart/heartstrings written to make someone feel sympathy for someone or something

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. tug² noun [countable]

1. (also ˈtug boat) a small strong boat used for pulling or guiding ships into a port, up a river etc

2. [usually singular] a sudden strong pull:
She removed the bandage with a sharp tug.

3. [usually singular] a strong and sudden feeling
tug of
Kate felt a tug of jealousy.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

tug
noun
ADJ. good, sharp All it needed was a good tug.
gentle, little, slight | quick, sudden
VERB + TUG give (sth) | feel
PREP. with a ~ She started the engine with one tug of the starter rope.
~ at She felt a sharp tug at her sleeve.
~ on She gave a little tug on the rope.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

tug
verb
ADV. gently | hard He tugged harder, but it was caught fast.
PREP. at She tugged at his arm to get his attention.
by He tugged me by the sleeve.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pull to make something or someone move in the direction that your hands are moving:
He pulled her towards him and kissed her.
Sam was pulling on his socks.
tug to pull something suddenly with a short quick movement, often to get someone’s attention:
‘Look,’ he said, tugging at his brother’s sleeve.
I tugged at the drawer but it wouldn’t open.
drag to pull something along the ground, especially because it is heavy:
If we can’t lift the piano, we’ll have to drag it.
haul to pull something big and heavy using a lot of effort, especially upwards and using a rope:
They hauled their boats further up the beach.
fishermen hauling in their nets
heave to pull or lift something very heavy, especially with one movement:
He heaved the sack of sand onto his shoulder.
draw formal to pull something or someone gently in a particular direction:
Lisa reached for his hand but he drew it away.
tow to pull a vehicle behind – used about a vehicle, a boat, or a horse pulling something using a rope or chain:
The car in front of us was towing a caravan.
Horses were used to tow the boats along the canals.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲