tug
Pronunciation: (tug), [key]
— v., n. tugged, tug•ging,
—v.t.
- to pull at with force, vigor, or effort.
- to move by pulling forcibly; drag; haul.
- to tow (a vessel) by means of a tugboat.
—v.i.
- to pull with force or effort: to tug at a stuck drawer.
- to strive hard; labor; toil.
—n.
- an act or instance of tugging; pull; haul.
- a strenuous contest between opposing forces, groups, or persons; struggle: the tug of young minds in a seminar.
- tugboat.
- that by which something is tugged, as a rope or chain.
- (on a harness)
- trace2 (def. 1).
- any of various supporting or pulling parts.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.