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Tugging

 - 4 dictionary results

tug

  [tuhg] ,verb, tugged, tug⋅ging, noun
Use Tugging in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to pull at with force, vigor, or effort.
2. to move by pulling forcibly; drag; haul.
3. to tow (a vessel) by means of a tugboat.
–verb (used without object)
4. to pull with force or effort: to tug at a stuck drawer.
5. to strive hard; labor; toil.
–noun
6. an act or instance of tugging; pull; haul.
7. a strenuous contest between opposing forces, groups, or persons; struggle: the tug of young minds in a seminar.
8. tugboat.
9. that by which something is tugged, as a rope or chain.
10. (on a harness)
a. trace 2 (def. 1).
b. any of various supporting or pulling parts.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME toggen to play-wrestle, contend; akin to OE togian to tow 1

Related forms:
tugger, noun
tugless, adjective

Synonyms:
1. yank, jerk, wrench.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Tugging
tug   (tŭg)   
v.   tugged, tug·ging, tugs

v.   tr.

  1. To pull at vigorously or repeatedly.

  2. To move by pulling with great effort or exertion; drag.

  3. To tow by tugboat.

v.   intr.

  1. To pull hard: tugged at her boots. See Synonyms at pull.

  2. To toil or struggle; strain.

  3. To vie; contend.

n.  

  1. A strong pull or pulling force: the tug of the sea.

  2. A contest; a struggle: a tug between loyalty and desire.

    1. A tugboat.

    2. A land, air, or space vehicle that moves or tows other vehicles: an airplane tug.

  4. A rope, chain, or strap used in hauling, especially a harness trace.


[Middle English tuggen, from Old English tēon; see deuk- in Indo-European roots.]
tug'ger n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tug  (v.)
c.1225, from weak grade of O.E. teohan "to pull, drag," from P.Gmc. *teukh- "pull," from PIE *deuk- "to pull, to lead" (see duke). Related to tow (1). The noun is recorded from 1500; meaning "small steamer used to tow other vessels" is recorded from 1817. Phrase tug of war (1677) was originally figurative, "the decisive contest, the real struggle."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tug
—see TRACHEAL TUG
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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