How to Use tug in a Sentence

tug

1 of 2 verb
Definition of tugnext
Synonyms for tugnext
  • She tugged the cord until the plug came out of the wall socket.
  • I felt someone tugging on my sleeve.
  • Where the gaps are, gently tug on the hair to achieve the bubbles.
    — Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 18 July 2023
  • When the net dips, players tug on the loose end of the rope to pull it back up.
    — Luca Evans, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2022
  • Garrett, though, wasn’t called up to tug at the heart strings.
    — Theo MacKie, The Arizona Republic, 16 Sep. 2022
  • Gray and his wife tug on the rope and the covering drops away.
    — al, 12 Jan. 2022
  • At the end of your outing, tug the end of the cord to loosen and remove your boot.
    — Déjà Leonard, Popular Mechanics, 19 Jan. 2023
  • One bird tugged at the cow’s head, which was now detached.
    — Meera Subramanian, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Use a firm hold close to the skin's surface and quickly tug on it.
    — Heather L. Brannon, Md, Verywell Health, 22 Mar. 2023
  • But the stuff that tugs at the heartstrings is what could make these devices stick.
    — Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2024
  • The dogs are barking and tugging so hard that the sled, though fixed to a post, bucks and wobbles.
    — Taymour Soomro Scott Conarroe, New York Times, 10 May 2023
  • If your greenery is struggling to slide out, gently tug on the base of the stems.
    — Mariah Thomas, Good Housekeeping, 13 July 2022
  • The bristles help define curls when hair is wet, and won’t tug or pull.
    — Lindy Segal, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 Aug. 2023
  • The first two wear bikinis, tug the tops to get their cleavage just right.
    — Lesley Finn, Longreads, 7 July 2022
  • These should tug against the constant quarter note pulse.
    — Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Dec. 2022
  • There's even a set that mixes plush toys and tug toys in one for extra fun.
    — Lily Gray, PEOPLE.com, 12 Dec. 2021
  • Don't be afraid to tug on the sections to really ramp up the volume.
    — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 31 July 2023
  • Use the tip of the paring knife or scissor blade to get under the dark vein and gently tug it out from the top.
    — Sarah Jampel, Bon Appétit, 16 Nov. 2021
  • If the parchment bunches up in the dough—this can happen if the dough is very soft—tug it out and smooth it with the rolling pin.
    — Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appétit, 8 Dec. 2023
  • And Daldry has this great instinct for tugging on our heart strings.
    — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023
  • The little humans pull and tug at the masks constantly.
    — Gregory Krieg, CNN, 11 Aug. 2021
  • Yet, there was still enough room for Cabello to pull and tug at the dress when needed.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 8 Sep. 2021
  • Enable lane keeping and the CR-V will tug at the wheel to keep you from wandering.
    — Beth Nichols, Car and Driver, 26 Jan. 2022
  • This coming-of-age movie will tug at your heartstrings.
    — Stacey Grant, Seventeen, 8 Dec. 2022
  • Scoop with a spoon, cut with a knife or tug with your fingers to separate the mango from the peel.
    — Samantha Chery, sun-sentinel.com, 30 June 2021
  • Now instead of pulling the cork out of the bottle, slowly and gently twist and tug the bottle from the cork.
    — John Debary, Bon Appétit, 3 Dec. 2022
  • The procedure included a lot of shaking, the skillet tugged back and forth over the heat as the corn popped.
    — Cathy Thomas, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
  • Be sure to gently apply any remover to the skin and make sure not to tug or pull to avoid damage.
    — Alyssa Rotunno, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2023
  • Use it to tug up your shirt and show off a sliver of skin or your belly button ring.
    — Abby Dupes, Seventeen, 12 Sep. 2022
  • So far, the mother's trial has tugged on the emotions of those in the courtroom, from the defendant to witnesses to victims' parents in attendance to even the lawyers.
    — Selina Guevara, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024
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tug

2 of 2 noun
  • He felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.
  • Strikes will come as a sharp tug rather than a pull or rap.
    — Will Ryan, Field & Stream, 5 July 2023
  • And at the center of the tug of war between them is Hannah.
    — Helena Andrews-Dyer, Washington Post, 28 Sep. 2022
  • Washington felt the throb and the pulse, the push and the tug of fierce winds on Saturday.
    — Martin Weil, Washington Post, 14 Jan. 2024
  • Dig deeper for more on the tug of war between the Fed and markets.
    — Joe Wallace, WSJ, 20 Dec. 2023
  • Stick the pasties on your boob, lift each one with the tug of its top tab, then adhere it to your skin.
    — Malia Griggs, Glamour, 4 Mar. 2024
  • Profile: Blaze loves to play with toys and likes to chase a ball around the yard as well as play tug of war.
    — Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2023
  • This festive red bin is filled with squeaky toys, tug ropes and tasty treats for a Good Boy.
    — Natalie Alcala, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2022
  • His fingers stray to the collar of his T-shirt, giving it a tug.
    — Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2022
  • Give a firm tug on the chute to be sure that it’s securely fastened.
    — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 10 July 2023
  • The highlight of the day must have been the tug of war between nurses at the hospital.
    — John Kelly, Washington Post, 3 July 2023
  • Children are pawns in this tug of war over their learning and their minds.
    — WSJ, 16 Mar. 2023
  • Yee is also no stranger to the sometime uneasy tug of one’s roots.
    — Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024
  • The rock was transferred by crane onto smaller barges, which a tiny tug named the Capt. Curtis pushed to the site.
    — Lawrence Specker | [email protected], al, 24 Aug. 2023
  • However, the couch isn't just a couch; with a simple tug, a section of the wall pulls down to reveal a bed.
    — Kimberley Mok, Treehugger, 24 Mar. 2023
  • There are even a few tug-of-war competitions to be had out there.
    — Rebekah Lowin, Country Living, 4 Oct. 2022
  • While many can be removed with just warm water and a gentle tug at the lashes, this isn't the case with all of them.
    — Catharine Malzahn, Good Housekeeping, 27 Oct. 2022
  • Between going electric and not needing a crew, the look of a tug is going to change.
    — Chris Kornelis, WSJ, 8 Nov. 2022
  • Cue the jar being at the center of a tug of war, then cracking into a million tiny shards of glass.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2023
  • There’s a major tug of war going on in the U.S. economy right now.
    — Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023
  • There will also be games including beer stein races, a keg haul and tug-o-war.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Sep. 2022
  • And perhaps we’re set up for a spiritual tug of war with her and Din.
    — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2023
  • The island of 23 million people is the rope in a giant game of tug of war that stretches across the South China Sea.
    — Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022
  • The tugs’ powerful pumps soon provide some of the only water in the entire city.
    — WIRED, 15 June 2023
  • Then, the warnings get louder and more frequent, the car tugs on your seatbelt, and the seat and steering wheel will vibrate.
    — Daniel Golson, The Verge, 27 Sep. 2023
  • The budget also seeks $180 million to start work on a space tug, an idea that has floated around NASA for decades.
    — Byscience News Staff, science.org, 9 Mar. 2023
  • All that’s left is for Maersk to sell four tug boats, a process that is ongoing, a spokesperson told Reuters.
    — Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2023
  • In many places, grasslands and forests coexist in a slow-motion tug-of-war.
    — Julia Rosen, The Atlantic, 25 July 2022
  • Romance scams aren’t the only ones with a strong emotional tug.
    — Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 23 Jan. 2023
  • The nation’s first all-electric tug boat has docked at the Port of San Diego and expects to begin emissions-free operations in about a month.
    — Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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