@mjd "They are all describing basically the same action but with focus on different aspects of it. Probably the most important difference among them is that some imply a *short, quick* pull and others a whole journey while pulling" maybe?

@mjd Hmm. All of these verbs are a variation on 'pull'. So, 1. Force (and I guess I really mean acceleration) that's being applied (pull, versus tug, yank, jerk); 2. What's being moved (haul); 3. Situation (drag, tow).

@mjd in Spanish we have estirar, tirar, pegar un tirón, acarrear, arrastrar, remolcar, which I feel are somewhat similar.

Also, the definitions on Wiktionary or whatever are mostly good?

I might use video for this precise set of words, though.

@mjd You wouldn't: "pull" is the only word that an English language learner needs to know.

@mjd I would have liked my English-language teachers to use images as examples.

@mjd Osmosis.

@mjd via their implementation in terms of a person acting on a cat's tail.

@mjd
pull - to successfully attract a potential mate
tug - a boat designed to move other boats
yank - a person from the USA
jerk - a mean person
haul - the bounty from a heist
drag - a person who brings other people down
tow - to have your car raised by it's front wheels and moved to another location by a purpose-built truck.

@mjd the first four can be used as euphemisms for male masturbation?

@mjd with force vectors and derivatives