Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun tug

2 senses of tug

Sense 1
tug, jerk -- (a sudden abrupt pull)
       => pull, pulling -- (the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you; "the pull up the hill had him breathing harder"; "his strenuous pulling strained his back")

Sense 2
tugboat, tug, towboat, tower -- (a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships)
       => boat -- (a small vessel for travel on water)

Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb tug

7 senses of tug

Sense 1
tug -- (pull hard; "The prisoner tugged at the chains"; "This movie tugs at the heart strings")
       => attract, pull, pull in, draw, draw in -- (direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes; "Her good looks attract the stares of many men"; "The ad pulled in many potential customers"; "This pianist pulls huge crowds"; "The store owner was happy that the ad drew in many new customers")

Sense 2
tug, labor, labour, push, drive -- (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")
       => fight, struggle -- (make a strenuous or labored effort; "She struggled for years to survive without welfare"; "He fought for breath")

Sense 3
tug -- (tow (a vessel) with a tug; "The tugboat tugged the freighter into the harbor")
       => tow -- (drag behind; "Horses used to tow barges along the canal")

Sense 4
lug, tote, tug -- (carry with difficulty; "You'll have to lug this suitcase")
       => transport, carry -- (move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body; "You must carry your camping gear"; "carry the suitcases to the car"; "This train is carrying nuclear waste"; "These pipes carry waste water into the river")

Sense 5
tug -- (move by pulling hard; "The horse finally tugged the cart out of the mud")
       => move, displace -- (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense; "Move those boxes into the corner, please"; "I'm moving my money to another bank"; "The director moved more responsibilities onto his new assistant")

Sense 6
tug -- (pull or strain hard at; "Each oar was tugged by several men")
       => pull, draw, force -- (cause to move by pulling; "draw a wagon"; "pull a sled")

Sense 7
tug -- (struggle in opposition; "She tugged and wrestled with her conflicts")
       => contend, fight, struggle -- (be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight; "the tribesmen fought each other"; "Siblings are always fighting"; "Militant groups are contending for control of the country")