a boat with a powerful engine, used for towing barges, ships, etc
6.
a hard struggle or fight
7. a less common word for trace2 (sense 1)
Derived forms
tugger (ˈtugger)
noun
Word origin
C13: related to Old English tēon to tow1
Examples of 'tugging' in a sentence
tugging
What if all that hopping and tugging caused a leak?
2019, 'What You Didn't Know About the Apollo 11 Mission', Smithsonianhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-you-didnt-know-about-apollo-11-mission-fifty-years-ago-180972165/
As you blink, it will naturally spread without tugging at the shadow.
The Sun (2017)
She's tugging some plastic garden furniture from the boot.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
All do a good job of tugging at your heartstrings.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
I was frantically tugging at the zip but it was too late.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
That was a nice touch, tugging at the nation's heart strings.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
I started tugging at the zip... the door zip... you're running ahead.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Tugging his forelock to politicians shouldn't even be on the agenda.
The Sun (2014)
This wasn't a principle, it was personal, and it was forelock-tugging deference.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The silk stops friction tugging at curls and helps keep them glossy.