chug

¹ American  

[chuhg] / tʃʌg /

noun

1. a short, dull, explosive sound.

   the steady chug of an engine.

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verb (used without object)

chugged, chugging

1. to make this sound.

   The motor chugged.

2. to move while making this sound.

   The train chugged along.

chug ² American  

[chuhg] / tʃʌg /

verb (used with or without object)

chugged, chugging

1. Also to swallow (a drink) in large gulps or without interruption.

   He noisily chugged the entire bottle of water, then slammed it onto the table.

   She was just sitting on the bench, chugging away on a bottle of soda.

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noun

1. a large gulp or swallow.

   He finished his beer in two chugs.

chug British  

/ tʃʌɡ /

noun

1. a short dull sound, esp one that is rapidly repeated, such as that made by an engine

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verb

1. (intr) (of an engine, etc) to operate while making such sounds

Other Word Forms

• chugger noun

Etymology

Origin of chug¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; imitative

Origin of chug¹

First recorded in 1955–60, as chug down; of imitative origin

Example Sentences

I’d be on a train soon—my first train ever—chugging away from Sassafras Springs.

From Literature

Meanwhile, SSE continues to chug forward amid mixed weather conditions and consistent profit expectations.

From The Wall Street Journal

As we chugged and gobbled in disbelief at the abundance, Uncle Jack asked if any of us wanted to become footballers in the future.

From Literature

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor left Windsor not with a regal fanfare, but with the chug of removal lorries, heading for Norfolk in the night.

From BBC

Alphabet still faces the worst competitive and regulatory environment it has seen, but at least for now it keeps chugging along.

From Barron's