1. Pull hard
   "The prisoner tugged at the chains"; "This movie tugs at the heart strings"
    
2. Pull or strain hard at
   "Each oar was tugged by several men"
    
3. Move by pulling hard
   "The horse finally tugged the cart out of the mud"
    
4. Carry with difficulty
   "They tugd the heavy furniture up the stairs";
   - lug, tote, hump [informal], haul
    
5. Tow (a vessel) with a tug
   "The tugboat tugged the freighter into the harbour"
    
6. Strive and make an effort to reach a goal
   "She tugged for years to make a decent living";
   - labor [US], labour [Brit, Cdn], push, drive, plow [US], sweat, plough on [Brit], plough [Brit], plow on [US]
    
7. Struggle in opposition
   "She tugged and wrestled with her conflicts"

1. A sudden abrupt pull
   "With a quick tug, he freed the rope from the knot";
   - jerk
    
2. A powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships
   "The tug guided the container ship into the harbour";
   - tugboat, towboat, tower[2]

Derived forms: tugging, tugged, tugs

Type of: attract, boat, carry, displace, draw, draw in, fight, move, pull, pull in, struggle, tow, transport

Encyclopedia: Tug, Inshore and Dock