tug Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a sudden abrupt pull
    jerk.
  2. noun a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships
    tugboat; tower; towboat.
  3. verb pull hard
    • The prisoner tugged at the chains
    • This movie tugs at the heart strings
  4. verb strive and make an effort to reach a goal
    push; drive; labor; labour.
    • 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
  5. verb tow (a vessel) with a tug
    • The tugboat tugged the freighter into the harbor
  6. verb carry with difficulty
    tote; lug.
    • You'll have to lug this suitcase
  7. verb move by pulling hard
    • The horse finally tugged the cart out of the mud
  8. verb pull or strain hard at
    • Each oar was tugged by several men
  9. verb struggle in opposition
    • She tugged and wrestled with her conflicts

WordNet

Tug transitive verb
Etymology
OE. toggen; akin to OD. tocken to entice, G. zucken to jerk, draw, Icel. toga to draw, AS. téon, 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.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Tugged ; present participle & verbal noun Tugging
Definitions
  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.
Tug intransitive verb
Definitions
  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.
Tug noun
Definitions
  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.

Webster 1913