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 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 Other players rushed to the scene, with linebacker Dre Greenlaw tugging right tackle Colton McKivitz to the ground, prompting fullback Kyle Juszczyk to enter the fray and a dogpile ensued. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 31 July 2026 After tugging on the singer's arm, the concertgoer was quickly apprehended by security. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 31 July 2026 Prying policy specifics from a political candidate often is like tugging a bone from a bulldog. — George F. Will, Washington Post, 17 July 2026 Jude, meanwhile, was shifting from tossing cones to tugging at his ears, afflicted with the same malady that had landed several of the toddlers on the room’s version of the injury list. — ABC News, 30 June 2026 These ergonomic neoprene handle wraps provide additional cushioning around the handles of your carry-on or checked suitcase, a dream for tired, achy hands after a day of tugging luggage. — Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 24 June 2026 But the combatants kept grasping and tugging each other off-balance. — Bob Brody, New York Daily News, 21 June 2026 He is seen in the video grabbing and tugging on her to prevent her from leaving. — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 20 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tugging

Verb

Why TikTok livestream selling can drive big sales Three forces are pulling sellers toward livestream commerce, and Duplantis’s numbers reflect all of them.

— Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026
Wildfire risk is pushing insurers to underwrite hotels based on physical resilience rather than location alone, and carriers are pulling back from some markets entirely.

— Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of pulling

Verb

While practicing for a sixth straight day, laboring in a heat index pushing 90 degrees, the Chiefs were bound to be a bit ill-mannered.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026
Complicated births that require, for example, extended time laboring will now be differentiated and might cost more, while uncomplicated births will cost less.

— Camille A. Clare, STAT, 23 July 2026

Definition of laboring

Verb

The papers served to underline how central banks are struggling to keep up with challenges introduced by technology.

— Maria Eloisa Capurro, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
The longer the current situation continues, the greater the strain on an economy already struggling with shortages, inflation and restrictions on trade.

— Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of struggling

Verb

As mentioned previously, Babcock obstinately played a late-career Marleau in significant minutes during his time in Toronto with dragging results.

— Janson Duench, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
The officer ordered him to stop, but the man continued driving, dragging the officer a short distance.

— Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of dragging

Verb

However, instead of a conservative regression, Dressen has noticed institutions striving to adopt more innovative practices on a number of levels.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
But a home that cannot absorb something deeply meaningful is striving for taste at the expense of inauthenticity.

— Steven Weill, Architectural Digest, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of striving

Verb

Other areas of concern are the library system's self-check-out kiosks, instances in which minor teenagers handle materials while working or volunteering at a branch, and platforms for loaning electronic materials, Adams said.

— Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2026
Now his focus is on following in his parents’ footsteps working with the Children’s Institute, an organization that supports children and families.

— Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of working

Browse Nearby Words

tugged

tugging

tug-of-war

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“Tugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tugging. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of tugging

verb

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