MEANING
1. To pull something with a short, firm effort or repeated short pulls.
2. A powerful boat used to tow or push other vessels.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- tug at a sleeve
- tug on a rope
On the page
A child tugged at her sleeve while she read.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- tug
- Past tense
- tugged
- Past participle
- tugged
- Present participle
- tugging
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- tug
- Present continuous
- am/is/are tugging
- Present perfect
- have/has tugged
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been tugging
- Past
- tugged
- Past continuous
- was/were tugging
- Past perfect
- had tugged
- Past perfect continuous
- had been tugging
- Future
- will tug
- Future continuous
- will be tugging
- Future perfect
- will have tugged
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been tugging
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: tug; tugs; tugged; tugged; tugging. Noun singular tug; plural tugs. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: tugs.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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