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Added 9 October 2026

tug

/ˈtʌɡ/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about tug at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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

verb

Pull hard.
The prisoner tugged at the chains
Strive and make an effort to reach a goal.
She tugged for years to make a decent living
Tow (a vessel) with a tug.
The tugboat tugged the freighter into the harbor

Origin

From Middle English tuggen, from Old English togian (“to tow”), from Proto-West Germanic *togōn, from Proto-Germanic *tugōną (“to draw, pull”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to draw, pull; to lead”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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