Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

dug

1 American  
[duhg] / dʌg /

verb

  1. a simple past tense and past participle of dig and dig.

dug 2 American  
[duhg] / dʌg /

noun

  1. the mamma or the nipple of a female mammal.

dug 1 British  
/ dʌɡ /

noun

  1. the nipple, teat, udder, or breast of a female mammal

  2. a human breast, esp when old and withered

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
dug 2 British  
/ dʌɡ /

verb

  1. the past tense and past participle of dig

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
dug 3 British  
/ dʌɡ /

noun

  1. a Scot word for dog

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dug

1520–30; origin obscure; perhaps < a Germanic base akin to Danish dægge, Norwegian degge, Swedish dägga to suckle

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When I told my editor what I was working on, he dug up an L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

The wolf dug into the ground and damaged the zoo's installed fence before escaping, according to the fire official.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Surrey were grateful for Sibley who dug in with a doggedness that Warwickshire supporters know well from watching him pass 50 on 16 occasions at Edgbaston.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Tomi Kilgore dug into the gold-mining industry to highlight stocks trading at bargain prices.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

She dug at the snow with her heel.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.