Tug

Definition: Tug

Tug

Noun

1. A sudden abrupt pull.

2. A powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships.

Verb

1. Pull hard; "The prisoner tugged at the chains"; "This movie tugs at the heart strings".

2. Exert oneself, 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".

3. Tow (a vessel) with a tug; "The tugboat tugged the freighter into the harbor".

4. Carry with difficulty; "You'll have to lug this suitcase".

5. Move by pulling hard: "The horse finally tugged the cart out of the mud".

6. Pull or strain hard at; "Each oar was tugged by several men".

7. Struggle in opposition; "She tugged and wrestled with her conflicts".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "tug" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1050. (references)

Transportation

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

TUG

TUG

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

Synonyms: Tug

Amusement

Leapfrog, hop skip and jump; mother may I; French and English, tug of war; blindman's bluff, hunt the slopper, hide and seek, kiss in the ring; snapdragon; cross questions and crooked answers.; crisscross, hopscotch; jacks, jackstones, marbles; mumblety-peg, mumble-the-peg, pushball, shinney, shinny, tag;

Contention

Hard knocks, sharp contest, tug of war.

Exertion

Noun: exertion, effort, strain, tug, pull, stress, throw, stretch, struggle, spell, spurt, spirt; stroke of work, stitch of work.

Labor, work, toil, moil, sweat, fag, drudge, slave, drag a lengthened chain, wade through, strive, stretch a long arm; pull, tug, ply; ply the oar, tug at the oar; do the work; take the laboring oar

Regression

Verb: draw, pull, haul, lug, rake, drag, tug, tow, trail, train; take in tow.

Warfare

Battle, tug of war; (contention); service, campaigning, active service, tented field; kriegspiel, Kriegsspiel; fire cross, trumpet, clarion, bugle, pibroch, slogan; war-cry, war-whoop; battle cry, beat of drum, rappel, tom-tom; calumet of war; word of command; password, watchword; passage d-armes.

Crosswords: Tug

Manx (tugboat), Scottish (brought, took).

And you don't tug on Superman's cape (You Don't Mess Around With Jim; performing artist: Jim Croce)

Yeah you don't tug on Superman's cape (You Don't Mess Around With Jim; performing artist: Jim Croce)

You don't tug on Superman's cape (You Don't Mess Around With Jim; performing artist: Jim Croce)

A Tug in a Heavy Sea (1898)

New York Harbor Ferryboat and Tug Passing Governors Island (1897)

Rub & Tug (2002)

You Don't Tug on Superman's Cape (1998)

Tug o' Love (1990)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Hercules the Harbor Tug (reference)

• The Tug Book (reference)

• Tug of War: A Triumph of Faith (reference)

• Tug of War: Why You Should Care About the Global Currency Crisis (reference)

  (more book examples)

Music

• Tug of War (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Robert Williams with first Fessenden oscillator on the tug Susie D First successful test of sonic system Looking for icebergs but also found bottom. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

A seagoing tug towing a barge in Charleston Harbor. Credit: America's Coastlines.

An aerial view of the tug loaded with rock traveling up Locust Bayou. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center.

The tug, Scandia, grounded in a winter storm was pulling the North Cape The barge carried approximately 828,000 gallons of home heating when tug and barge grounded in Rhode Island waters. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center.

Figure 5. P. Regnard's combination photometer and photometric recording device. Invented by Paul Regnard in 1888 for measuring the intensity and duration of lig light with increasing depth. It was used by Prince Albert aboard a steam tug off Funchal at depths of 20, 30, and 40 meters. The balloon pressure device was not part of the original instrument but added afterwards. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now.

U.S. Army. Base Hospital No.33, Portsmouth, England. : Athletics- Tug of War. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

U.S. Battleship Oregon, taking on ammunition from a tug, at Siboney, Cuba. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

With a tug by her stern, in the Mississippi River area during 1863-65. Credit: NAVY.

In the Mississippi River area, 1863-65, with a tug astern. Credit: NAVY.

Tug Arundel. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Each man sat in the water and felt the tug of the current.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Expressions using "tug": catamaran tug ♦ feel a tug ♦ salvage tug ♦ steam tug ♦ tug at ♦ tug at smb.'s heartstrings ♦ tug iron ♦ tug of war ♦ tug off war ♦ tug reed. Additional references.

Beginning with "tug": tug-boat, tug-loops, tug-master, tug-of, tug-of-love, tug-of-war, tug-o'-war, tug-talk.

Ending with "tug": love-tug, steam-tug, target-tug.

Afrikaans

trek (drag, draw, haul, pull). (various references)

Albanian

tërheqje (affinity, allurement, appeal, appetence, appetency, attraction, attractiveness, crush, draw, drawing, enchantment, enticement, haul, jerk, lure, magnetization, pull, pullback, recall, recession, recoil, retirement, retraction, retreat, revocation, strain, stretch, tow, traction, withdrawal), tërheq (allure, appeal, arrest, attract, bewitch, call attention to, capture, catch, charm, daggle, dangle, decoy, drag, draggle, draw, draw out, engage, entice, fetch, fix, haul, heave, invite, jerk, lure, pluck, prepossess, pull, pull out, recall, retract, revoke, stretch, take back, tow, web, withdraw), rimorkioj (tow), rimorkim (tow, towage, towing). (various references)

Arabic 

‏هزة خفيفة, ‏نزل بالسحب, ‏ناضل (agonize, buffet, combat, contend, contest, fight, heave, militate, ply, pursue, push, strive, struggle, worry, wrestle), ‏قطر (country, distil, dribble, drip, drop, land, percolate, rain, region, territory, tow, towing, trail, trickle), ‏سحب بقوة (wrench), ‏سحب (call, dash, disengage, draft, drag, dragging, draught, draw, drawing, drawing out, hang fire, haul, heave, lug, pull, recall, recant, retreat, revoke, revulsion, run, strain, take back, take off, tow, traction, trail, train, withdraw, withdrawal), ‏زورق السحب (tugboat), ‏جر الحبل بقوة, ‏جر الحبل (tug of war), ‏جر بقوة, ‏أحد السيرين يشد بهما الحيوان, ‏رفع بالسحب, ‏شدة عنيفة. (various references)

Bulgarian 

стремя се (aspire, reach out, strive, yearn), теглене (draft, drag, draught, draw, drawing, haul, haulage, lug, pull, tow, towage, towing, traction), влекач (traction engine, tractor, tugboat), напъвам се (spurt), мъча се (agonize, labor, labour, seek, suffer, toil, try, writhe), буксирно въже (hawser), буксир (tugboat), дърпане (drag, drawing, haul, heave, lug, pull), дърпам силно, дъга (arc, bow, catenary, clapboard, curve, quadrant, rainbow, stave), дръжка на ведро, дръпвам (hitch, jerk, pull, pull at, pull away, pull down, pull in, retract, strike, suck at, tweak, twitch, withdraw). (various references)

Chinese 

猛拉 (Yank, Yanked, Yanking), 強拉 . (various references)

Czech

trhat (blast, gather, mammock, pick, pick(up), pluck, scarify, worry), tahání, zatahat (tweak), zatáhnutí (pull), vléci (drag, drag along, haul, heave, lug across, pull, tow, trail), škubnutí (jerk, lurch, pluck, pull, quirk, stab, twinge, twitch, yank), škubat (lug at, pluck, tear). (various references)

Danish

trække (drag, draw, haul, pull), bugserbåd (tugboat). (various references)

Dutch

rukken (jerk, pull). (various references)

Esperanto

trenŝipo (tugboat), tiri (drag, draw, haul, pull), ektiri (jerk, pull). (various references)

Faeroese

hála (drag, draw, haul, pull, tow), draga (drag, draw, haul, pull, tow). (various references)

Farsi 

یدک کش (Tow), کوشیدن (Endeavor, Strive, Try), کوشش (Assay, Attempt, Bustle, Effort, Endeavor, Fist, Labor, Muss, Scramble, Strain, Stretch, Trial, Try), کشش (Draw, Extension, Haul, Haulage, Inducement, Jerk, Magnetism, Pull, Reach, Tension, Tract, Traction, Twitch), تقلاکردن (Agonize, Attempt, Heave, Labor, Scramble, Slog, Struggle, Wrestle), تقلا (Agony, Bout, Bustle, Effort, Exertion, Muss, Scrabble, Scramble, Slog, Strain, Stress, Strife, Wrestle), زحمت (Difficulty, Discomfort, Inconvenience, Labor, Pain, Torment, Trouble), بزحمت کشیدن , بازورکشیدن . (various references)

Finnish

vetää (drag, draw, haul, hold, pull). (various references)

French

remorqueur (tugboat), remorquer. (various references)

Frisian

tsjen (drag, draw, haul, pull). (various references)

German

zerren (be draughty, drag, jerk, jolt, lug, pull, rip, shake, strain, tear, tear at), zug (breath, campaign, catch, characteristic, course, draft, drag, draught, drawing, draw-string, drifting, expedition, feature, flight, flock, groove, gulp, haul, lineament, migration, mouthful, move, platoon, procession, puff, pull, section, shoal, slide, stop, strain, streak, stroke, swig, team, tension, touch, traction, train, trait, transmigration, truck and trailer, up draft, up-draught, whiff), ziehen (ache, be draughty, be popular, breed, brew, build, drag, dragging pain, draw, drift, erect, extract, fly, go, go down well, grow, haul, haul up, heave, infuse, lift, lift up, make, March, marinade, migrate, penetrate, process, production, pull, pull out, pulling, raise, remove, sail, simmer, strain, stretch, suck, take out, tear, to pull, traction, trail, transmigrate, twitch, unsheathe, wander, wheel, work out, yank out), Schlepper (hauler, haulers, tout, tractor, tugboat), reißen (be draughty, crack, drag, draw, jerk, jolt, pull, rend, rent, rip, shake, snap, snatch, tear, to rip, wrench, yank). (various references)

Greek 

τράβηγμα (draught, drawing, haul, pull, traction, twitch, withdrawal, withdrawament, yank). (various references)

Hebrew 

ל�"תאמץ (be at pains, endeavor, endeavour, exert oneself, strain, strive, struggle, take trouble), ל�'רור (drag, draw, grate, haul, involve, pull, tow, trail), חבל משיכ�", �'וררת (tugboat). (various references)

Hungarian

rántás (hitch, hoick, jerk, liaison, lug, pluck, pull, twitch, yank). (various references)

Indonesian

sentakan (jerk, jog, jolt, kick, yank), merenggut (snatch, tweak), kapal penarik (tugboat), ganggut (pull). (various references)

Italian

tirare (be tight, blow, draft, drag, draught, draw, feel tight, haul, heave, land, lug, pluck, pull, shoot, stretch, tend, throw, tighten, to pull, twitch, wheel), rimorchiatore (hauler, towboat, tugboat). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

綱引き (forward puller, tug of war). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

つなひき (forward puller, tug of war). (various references)

Korean 

잡아당김. (various references)

Manx

tayrn (brew of tea; designing, brew; designing, carry, carrying, cart; get out; draw, deracinate, describe; attract, draft, drag, draw along, drawing, haul, haulage, heave, hitch, induce; tap, induce; tap as barrel, lure, pluck, pull, pulling, suction, tow, towing, trace, tracing; quartering, trawl, tugging, yank), streppey, strepey (exert, exertion, flounder, grapple, strive, struggle, tussle, wallow). (various references)

Maya

haahan-koolt (to tug). (various references)

Papiamen

trèk (drag, draw, haul, pull), hala (drag, draw, haul, pull). (various references)

Pig Latin

ugtay

Portuguese

tirante (bond, cufflink, fish rod, rod), sacão (pluck, twitch), rebocar (anoint, drag, grout, haul, kedge, parget, plaster, roughcast, smear, spread, to tow, tow, track), puxar com força (strain), puxão (jerk, jumble, lug, pluck, pull, tweak, twitch, wrench, yank), membro de um colégio, lutar (battle, buffet, combat, conflict, contend, contest, fight, grapple, lute, militate, scrap, scrimmage, scuffle, strike, strive, struggle, vie, wrestle), labutar (labor, labour, moider, moil, plod, plug, scrub, stew, toil, travail), esforçar-se (battle, endeavor, endeavour, exert, run for, strain, try), dar um puxão, ato de puxar, arrastar (carry, drag, drag out, draw, entrain, haul, lug, pull, slither, trail), arranco (impetus, impulse, jerk, lug, pull, sprint, spurt, start, yank). (various references)

Romanian

tragere (draught, draw, drawing, gunnery, gunning, pluck, pull, running, shooting), trage (absorb, booze, cock, come, drag, drag in, drag out, draw, evolve, extract, fetch, fire, guzzle, haul, heave, hitch, lie, lug, pluck, pop, pull, pull up, rub, screw, shoot, strike off, suffer, tipple, toll, worry), târî (creep, drag, drag on, draw, haul, slither, trail), smuciturã (flounce, hitch, jerk, jolt, twitch, wrench, wring), smuci (hitch, lug, pull up, twitch, worry, wrench), remorcher (towboat, tug-boat), remorcare (tow), remorca (haul, take in tow, trail), effort (drive, effort, endeavor, endeavour, exertion, force, labor, labour, pain, pluck, push, strain, stretch, struggle), ştreang (halter, noose). (various references)

Russian 

рывок (burst of energy, dash, shoot, snatch, spurt, start, yank), тянуть (drag, drag out, draw, extend, haul, heave, protract, pull, pulled, round in, tote), тащить (daggle, drag, draw, haul, lug, manhandle, pull, schlepp, tote, toted, toting, tow), буксир (tow, tow rope, towbar, towboat, tow-boat, towing line, towing rope, towline, tow-line, towrope, tracker, tugboat, tugger). (various references)

Scottish

dragh (annoyance, bother, draw, pull, trouble). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

trzaj (hitch, jerk, lunge, lurch, snatch, start, twitch, wince, wrench, yank), trgnuti (draw, jerk, pull, recoil, startle, twitch, yank), tegljenje (haul, haulage), tegliti (drag in, haul, heft, lug across, tow, trawl), vuča (draft, pull, tow, towage, towing, traction), vući (drag, draw, haul, lug, pull, shuffle, toil, tow, trail, yank), izvući (abstract, bring out, come up, derive, draw out, extract, get out, wangle). (various references)

Spanish

tirar (burn, cast, discard, dispose of, drag, draw, draw out, fire, haul, heave, kiss off, knock off, lay, pitch, print, pull, shoot, tell off, throw, throw about, throw aside, throw away, throw out, to throw, toss away, toss over, turn out), remolcador (tugboat). (various references)

Sranan

ari (drag, draw, haul, pull). (various references)

Swedish

rycka (hitch, jerk, lug, March, move, pluck, pull, switch, twitch, wrench, wrest, yank), ryck (fit, flip, hitch, jerk, judder, lug, pull, snatch, start, twich, twitch, whim, yank), hala (drag, draw, fetch, get, Hale, haul, pick up, pull), dra (cut, drag, draw, go, Hale, haul, lay, lug, March, pull, subtract, take away, trail, trek, turn, twitch, wheel), bogsera (tow). (various references)

Turkish

çekmek (abide, absorb, arrest, attract, be a sufferer by, be a sufferer from, be cursed with smth., bear, bear with, captivate, carry, catch, charm, claw, conjugate, decline, drag, draw, draw off, draw on, draw out, dwindle, engage, engross, extract, fetch, glamor, glamour, go through, go to scale at, grind, grip, haul, heave, hitch, hoist, hold, inflect, inhale, invite, last out, lug, lump, magnetize, pass through, pique, pluck, prepossess, pull, pull away, pull over, pull up, receive, record, run up, scale in, scale out, schlep, schlepp, shoot, shrink, sip, siphon, siphon off, soak, soak in, sop up, stand the racket, stretch, suck, suffer, sustain, syphon, syphon off, take, take after, take one's medicine, throw back, toss, tow, tow away, turn the scale at, undergo, up with, whisk, withdraw). (various references)

Turkmen 

dartmak. (various references)

Ukrainian

сіпати щосили, сіпання (lug, pull, twitch, wrench, yank), тягти з зусиллями, зусилля (effort, energies, exertion, fetch, nisus, pains, push, stress, strife, struggle), лямка, буксирувати (haul, tow), буксир (tugboat), дужка (bail, ear). (various references)

Vietnamese 

sự kéo mạnh (haul, lug). (various references)

convulsa, convulsam. (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "tug": tugboat, tugboats, tugged, tugger, tuggers, tugging, tughrik, tughriks, tugless, tugrik, tugriks, tugs. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Tug" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: euug, tagg, tagl, tagu, tauv, tegg, tg, t'go, Tigy, tju, Tjuo, togg, togh, toug, tu, tua, tuc, tud, tuf, tuge, tugi, tugo, tugy, tuh, tui, tuj, tul, tuq, tus, tuu, tuv, tuw, Tuy, Tvu, tyg, Tzur, vug. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: gut.

-1 letter: ut.

+1 letter: glut, gout, gust, guts, thug, trug, tugs, tung.

+2 letters: aught, gamut, gault, gaunt, getup, ghaut, glout, gluts, gouts, gouty, grout, grunt, guest, guilt, gusto, gusts, gusty, gutsy, gutta, gutty, guyot, ought, outgo, stung, tegua, teugh, thugs, togue, tough, trugs, tungs, ungot.

+3 letters: agouti, agouty, aughts, augite, august, baguet, bought, budget, catgut, caught, degust, dought, dugout, englut, fought, fugato, gamuts, gateau, gaults, getups, ghauts, glouts, glutei, gluten, gomuti, grouts, grouty, grunts, grutch, guests, guglet, guilts, guilty, guitar, gullet, gunite, gurnet, gusset, gusted, guttae, gutted, gutter, guttle, guyots, hagbut, hognut, hugest, jugate, luting, midgut, muting, naught, nougat, nought, nugget, nutmeg, oughts, outage, outbeg, outgas, outgun, outing, pignut, pigout, putlog, ragout, rotgut, rugate, sagbut, sought, strung, taught, tautog, teguas, tergum, though, togues, tongue, toughs, toughy, tragus, trough, trudge, truing, tubing, tugged, tugger, tugrik, tuning, turgid, turgor, ungirt, upgirt, urgent, waught, yogurt.