Adjacent Words

Tug definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TUG, v.t. [L. duco. See Tow, to draw.]
1. To pull or draw with great effort; to drag along with continued exertion; to haul along.
There sweat, there strain, tug the laborious oar.
2. To pull; to pluck.
--To ease the pain
His tugg'd ears suffer'd with a strain.
TUG, v.i. To pull with great effort; as, to tug at the oar; to tug against the stream.
1. To labor; to strive; to struggle.
They long wrestled and strenuously tugged for their liberty. [This is not elegant.]
TUG, n. A pull with the utmost effort.
At the tug he falls--
Vast ruins come along--
1. A sort of carriage, used in some parts of England for conveying bavins or faggots and other things.
2. In some parts of New England, the traces of a harness are called tugs.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a sudden abrupt pull [syn: tug, jerk]
2: a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships [syn: tugboat, tug, towboat, tower] v
1: pull hard; "The prisoner tugged at the chains"; "This movie tugs at the heart strings"
2: strive and make an effort to reach a goal; "She tugged for years to make a decent living"; "We have to push a little to make the deadline!"; "She is driving away at her doctoral thesis" [syn: tug, labor, labour, push, drive]
3: tow (a vessel) with a tug; "The tugboat tugged the freighter into the harbor"
4: carry with difficulty; "You'll have to lug this suitcase" [syn: lug, tote, tug]
5: move by pulling hard; "The horse finally tugged the cart out of the mud"
6: pull or strain hard at; "Each oar was tugged by several men"
7: struggle in opposition; "She tugged and wrestled with her conflicts"

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (tugged; tugging) Etymology: Middle English tuggen; akin to Old English togian to pull — more at tow Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. to pull hard 2. to struggle in opposition ; contend 3. to exert oneself laboriously ; labor transitive verb 1. to pull or strain hard at 2. a. to move by pulling hard ; haul b. to carry with difficulty ; lug 3. to tow with a tugboat • tugger noun II. noun Date: 15th century 1. a. trace III,1 b. a short leather strap or loop c. a rope or chain used for pulling 2. a. an act or instance of tugging ; pull b. a strong pulling force 3. a. a straining effort b. a struggle between two people or opposite forces 4. tugboat

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. (tugged, tugging) 1 tr. & (foll. by at) intr. pull hard or violently; jerk (tugged it from my grasp; tugged at my sleeve). 2 tr. tow (a ship etc.) by means of a tugboat. --n. 1 a hard, violent, or jerky pull (gave a tug on the rope). 2 a sudden strong emotional feeling (felt a tug as I watched them go). 3 a small powerful boat for towing larger boats and ships. 4 an aircraft towing a glider. 5 (of a horse's harness) a loop from a saddle supporting a shaft or trace. Phrases and idioms: tug of love colloq. a dispute over the custody of a child. tug of war 1 a trial of strength between two sides pulling against each other on a rope. 2 a decisive or severe contest. Derivatives: tugger n. Etymology: ME togge, tugge, intensive f. Gmc: see TOW(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tug Tug, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tugged; p. pr. & vb. n. Tugging.] [OE. toggen; akin to OD. tocken to entice, G. zucken to jerk, draw, Icel. toga to draw, AS. t['e]on, p. p. togen, to draw, G. ziehen, OHG. ziohan, Goth. tiuhan, L. ducere to lead, draw. Cf. Duke, Team, Tie, v. t., Touch, Tow, v. t., Tuck to press in, Toy a plaything.] 1. To pull or draw with great effort; to draw along with continued exertion; to haul along; to tow; as, to tug a loaded cart; to tug a ship into port. There sweat, there strain, tug the laborious oar. --Roscommon. 2. To pull; to pluck. [Obs.] To ease the pain, His tugged cars suffered with a strain. --Hudibras.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tug Tug, v. i. 1. To pull with great effort; to strain in labor; as, to tug at the oar; to tug against the stream. He tugged, he shook, till down they came. --Milton. 2. To labor; to strive; to struggle. England now is left To tug and scamble and to part by the teeth The unowed interest of proud-swelling state. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tug Tug, n. 1. A pull with the utmost effort, as in the athletic contest called tug of war; a supreme effort. At the tug he falls, Vast ruins come along, rent from the smoking walls. --Dryden. 2. A sort of vehicle, used for conveying timber and heavy articles. [Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell. 3. (Naut.) A small, powerful steamboat used to tow vessels; -- called also steam tug, tugboat, and towboat. 4. A trace, or drawing strap, of a harness. 5. (Mining.) An iron hook of a hoisting tub, to which a tackle is affixed. Tug iron, an iron hook or button to which a tug or trace may be attached, as on the shaft of a wagon.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(tugs, tugging, tugged) 1. If you tug something or tug at it, you give it a quick and usually strong pull. A little boy came running up and tugged at his sleeve excitedly... She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. VERB: V at n, V n, also V • Tug is also a noun. I felt a tug at my sleeve. N-COUNT 2. A tug or a tug boat is a small powerful boat which pulls large ships, usually when they come into a port. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Pull (with great effort), draw, haul, drag. II. v. n. 1. Pull hard, pull with great effort. 2. Labor, struggle, strive. III. n. 1. Hard pull, great effort. 2. Tow-boat. 3. Trace, drawing-strap.

Moby Thesaurus

adduct, adduction, affinity, allurement, attract, attractance, attraction, attractiveness, attractivity, back band, backstrap, battle, be magnetic, bearing rein, bellyband, bit, blinders, blinds, breeching, bridle, caparison, capillarity, capillary attraction, cavesson, centripetal force, checkrein, cheekpiece, chinband, cinch, collar, crownband, crupper, curb, draft, drag, draggle, draw, draw towards, drive, fight, gag swivel, girth, gravitation, gravity, hackamore, hale, halter, hames, hametugs, harness, haul, have an attraction, headgear, headstall, heave, hip straps, jaquima, jerk line, lines, lug, lure, magnet, magnetism, magnetize, martingale, moil, mutual attraction, noseband, oppugn, overexert, overexertion, overextend, overextension, overstrain, overstress, overtax, overtaxing, pole strap, press, pull, pull towards, pulling power, rack, reins, ribbons, saddle, shaft tug, side check, snaffle, snake, strain, strain every nerve, straining, stress, stress and strain, stressfulness, stretch, strive, surcingle, sweat blood, sympathy, tack, tackle, take in tow, tax, taxing, tense, tension, toil, tow, traction, trail, train, trappings, trawl, troll, war, warfare, winker braces, work, yoke