TUGGING Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

tugging

verb

present participle of tug

as in pulling

to cause to follow by applying steady force on tugged on the door until it opened

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in laboring

to devote serious and sustained effort she's tugged all her life to get to where she is now in the business world

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of tugging Sitting in a boat, tugging their house behind them, the journey initially appears to be going smoothly. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026 The sweet gallery opens with Rocki tugging at a large wig placed on her head as Rihanna can be heard laughing in the background. — Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 27 Sep. 2026 WashWise recommends holding the spray 8 to 12 inches away, applying a light mist and smoothing or gently tugging the fabric to release wrinkles. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Sep. 2026 In Gold Hill, Sullivan's brother-in-law solved the bear-in-Toyota problem by tugging a rope tied to a door handle. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026 In Gold Hill, Sullivan’s brother-in-law solved the bear-in-Toyota problem by tugging a rope tied to a door handle. — Brittany Peterson, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 One of the iconic Chicago Bears photos from 1985, shot during a minicamp practice in the spring, captured Walter Payton with one finger on his left hand tugging down the shorts of fullback Matt Suhey, who was lined up in the I-formation. — Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026 Teams earned points by winning weekly head-to-head battles – tugging a sled across the field the fastest, surviving a heated game of dodgeball – and by simply doing the right thing. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026 In a statement after the trial, Delaney acknowledged tugging on the student's sleeve. — William Morris, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugging

Verb

Safe haven demand temporarily outweighed inflation fears, prompting capital to exit risk assets and flow into the Treasury market, thereby pulling yields lower.

— , CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Through July, O’Hare held a cash advantage of $707,000 to Simmons’s $67,000, with his campaign pulling $135,000 from oil and gas companies alone.

— Rachel Royster. Produced with AI assistance, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of pulling

Verb

Strange, yes, but definitely more memorable than an accountant in green eyeshade laboring over the books.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
And workers have now spent over 1 million hours laboring on an infrastructure project whose price tag has surpassed $900 million.

— Robert Tann, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of laboring

Verb

But while most young people are struggling to land their first opportunity, some have jumped the line by building their own small businesses and startups—and young founders are now ramping up hiring even as companies across industries slow theirs.

— Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
The film includes flashbacks to his time in the war and features a parallel story about his young carer struggling to make ends meet.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggling

Verb

He’s also been known to engage with those who might not be fans of his comedic stylings, publicly arguing back and forth with civilians, dragging them on his social media for his fans to see.

— Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026
Beaches typically go through a seasonal cycle with powerful winter waves dragging sand out to sea and more mild summer waves depositing the sand back onshore.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of dragging

Verb

And those striving for zest under these circumstances may benefit from assistance from a mental health professional like a psychologist, a physical health provider like a physician, or a personal trainer or fitness instructor.

— Joan M. Cook, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
There was a phone booth across the street where striving actors would take calls from their agents, before cell phones.

— Sam Kashner, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of striving

Verb

Walsh will contribute across collection development, campaign concepts, styling, brand imagery and creative storytelling, working alongside the Rebecca Taylor team.

— Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
Phillips is working from a script by Jordan & Justin Shipley, creators of the TBS comedy Wrecked, with a rewrite by Phillips & frequent collaborator Gene Stupnitsky, who’s producing through his Big Name Entertainment banner.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of working

Browse Nearby Words

tugged

tugging

tug-of-war

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Cite this Entry

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“Tugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugging. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of tugging

verb

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