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• rug
  rug

  noun

  a thick fabric for covering part of a floor, often woven of wool and often having an oblong shape with a border design.
• RUG
  RUG

  abbreviation

  restricted users group

rug

American  

[ruhg] / rʌg /

noun

• rugs
  plural

1. a thick fabric for covering part of a floor, often woven of wool and often having an oblong shape with a border design.

2. the treated skin of an animal, used as a floor covering.

   a bear rug.

3. Chiefly British. a piece of thick, warm cloth, used as a coverlet, lap robe, etc.

4. Slang. toupee; hairpiece.

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idioms

1. cut a rug, to dance, especially to jitterbug.

rug ¹ British  

/ rʌɡ /

noun

1. a floor covering, smaller than a carpet and made of thick wool or of other material, such as an animal skin

2. a blanket, esp one used as a wrap or lap robe for travellers

3. slang a wig

4. to betray, expose, or leave defenceless

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RUG ² British  

abbreviation

1. restricted users group

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rug More Idioms  

1. see pull the rug out from under; sweep under the rug. Also see under carpet.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ruglike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rugs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rug

1545–55; < Old Norse rǫgg wool, long hairs; compare Norwegian rugga covering of coarse wool, Swedish rugg coarse hair

Explanation

A rug is something made of woven fabric that covers a floor. If your downstairs neighbor is complaining about the noise, try buying a rug. A rug is smaller than a carpet, which usually covers a room's entire floor — rugs leave parts of the floor exposed. Some are thick and dense, providing a cushiony area for walking or sitting. Rug also informally means "wig or toupee," so you could say, "Did you see that guy's terrible blonde rug?" And if you want to pretend something didn't happen, you'll have to colloquially "sweep it under the rug," or hide it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rug RUG rugs

But I have somehow assembled enough glittering people and enough secondhand objects — a woven rug, cushions, low tables, an impossible number of candles — that it feels like a tiny seventh-floor pop-up restaurant.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

The restoration on the Mills Act Property, which provides tax incentives to upkeep historic homes, has required an ecosystem of experts, including a colorist and curatorial rug merchant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

One such element she shared in her posts is a large brown boucle and wood chair that sits atop a beige rug, alongside a large potted plant.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

"But Korea had the courage to look what it had done straight in the eye" while "Denmark prefers to sweep everything under the rug," he said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

Once you were upright, like a grown-up, you never had to eat rug.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

A RUG Made of narrow strips of cotton cloth.

From Construction Work for Rural and Elementary Schools by McGaw, Virginia

Nearly everything in her apartment is secondhand, from the vintage Audubon prints arranged salon-style in the living room to the Navajo rugs and David Shrigley print she found at a garage sale.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

So do the animal-shaped wool carpets that riff on traditional skin rugs by using vegetarian-friendly materials to create colorful, flattened creatures: a fiery, spotted cheetah; a purple-striped dodo; a particularly silly mammoth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Colorful rugs and artworks help to add a vibrant feel to a den space, which features a built-in fireplace, while a variety of textures bring a fresh perspective to the open-plan design.

From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026

Before finding her way onto the screen, Tânia Maria has long made a living as an artisan handcrafting rugs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026

Now I could see the worn spots in the hall rugs, the broken piece of molding along the ceiling, the burned-out bulb in the light fixture.

From "Prisoner B-3087" by Alan Gratz

Related Words

• carpeting
• mat
• tapestry