Synonyms of tugging

tugging

verb

present participle of tug

1

as in pulling

to cause to follow by applying steady force on

tugged on the door until it opened

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pulling
• hauling
• dragging
• towing
• lugging
• drawing
• carrying
• attracting
• yanking
• heaving
• haling
• jerking
• moving
• transporting
• conveying
• ferrying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pushing
• driving
• propelling
• shoving
• thrusting

2

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

• laboring
• struggling
• striving
• working
• trying
• endeavoring
• sweating
• plowing
• humping
• toiling
• straining
• grubbing
• plugging
• digging (away)
• hustling
• slaving
• plodding
• slogging
• drudging
• pegging (away)
• travailing
• banging away
• moiling
• fagging
• exerting
• scratching
• applying (oneself)
• attacking
• sweating blood
• beavering (away)
• buckling (down)
• driving
• hammering (away)
• exercising
• digging in
• wading
• pitching in
• scrabbling
• trudging
• grinding (out)
• overworking
• essaying
• eking out
• overexerting
• knuckling down
• putting out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breaking
• slackening
• easing (up)
• idling
• lounging
• hanging (around or out)
• shirking
• resting
• chilling
• letting up
• bumming
• loafing
• dallying
• lazing
• unwinding
• hanging
• relaxing
• hacking (around)
• playing
• goofing (off)
• slacking (off)
• lolling
• reposing
• basking
• dabbling
• goldbricking
• trifling
• dillydallying
• footling
• doodling
• fooling around
• messing around
• vegging out
• puttering (around)
• goofing (around)
• monkeying (around)
• pottering (around)
• hanging about
• fribbling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tugging

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

After tugging on the singer's arm, the concertgoer was quickly apprehended by security. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 31 July 2026