From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtugtug1 /tʌɡ/ ●●○ verb (tugged, tugging) 1 PULL[intransitive, transitive] to pull with one or more short, quick pulls The woman gently tugged his arm.tug at/on something Joe was tugging at her sleeve.► see thesaurus at pull2 [transitive always + adverb/preposition] British English to pull a piece of clothing quickly onto your bodytug something on Alice was tugging on a sweater.3 → tug at somebody’s heart/heartstrings→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
tug• But he had worked one hand loose and he made a leap as Jack tugged.• You have to tug a little to break the seal, and then the door opens.• Then, just when it seemed to have settled, it made a sharp sideways movement, tugging against the halter.• She tugged at her skirt and adjusted her waistband.• "Come on, " Alice said, tugging at his hand.• We tugged at the door but it still wouldn't open.• The little girl was tugging her mother's sleeve, trying to get her attention.• As if reading his mind Maggie tugged him across in front of her so that he could comfort his wife.• She tugged it off the body.• As they tugged it straight the wind bellied it out, taut as a sail.• Marine biologists used to study life in the ocean deeps by tugging nets behind boats and examining what they dragged up.tugtug2 noun [countable] 1 (also tug boat)TTW a small strong boat used for pulling or guiding ships into a port, up a river etc2 [usually singular]PULL a sudden strong pull She removed the bandage with a sharp tug.3 [usually singular] a strong and sudden feelingtug of Kate felt a tug of jealousy.Examples from the Corpus
tug• I felt a tug when the skids hit treetops.• Tony gave Simon's T-shirt a tug, and they both left the room.• A tug at his trouser leg awakened him from his reverie.• A tug hooting from the river.• At Blisworth on the Grand Union Canal tugs were used from 1870 to 1936.• If you were in the crowd, you couldn't fail to feel an emotional tug.• I seized the door handle and gave it a good tug.• The ropes still held, but one good tug would part them like silk.• The crew abandoned the tug, forcing the Coast Guard to send a swimmer out in high seas to rescue them.• After so much delay, it never took more than one or two tugs. 