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 chug²

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chug chugged chugging

All three major U.S. stock indexes ended last week at fresh highs and are continuing to chug along this year.

From Barron's ● May 31, 2026

So far, the broader market has continued to chug higher.

From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

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 ● Feb. 4, 2026

“Is Tobias still bothering you?” he asks after a long chug.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

Massie even chugged a celebratory glass of raw milk.

From Slate ● May 20, 2026

At one point on Thursday the train chugged past a queue of trucks waiting for fuel -- the trains themselves run on diesel, with the state railway company maintaining its own stocks.

From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026

He happily chugged all three shots of espresso.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

I chugged cups of instant black coffee like water, not paying much heed to the bitter, pungent aftertaste that lingered on my tongue and scorched my throat.

From Salon ● Nov. 6, 2025

Ella remembered the delicious drink from the sky-ferry and quickly chugged the liquid just before it could wiggle out of the cup.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

The group’s primal musical stew came from thoroughly American ingredients: ragged blues, chugging rock, narcotic country and hoarse soul.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

It also asked travelers to “avoid chugging your ranch outside security” lines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

Two years ago, with the economy chugging along and inflation falling, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell dispatched a question about stagflation with humor rather than scorn.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

And if they had, it was quickly overshadowed by something else in our breakneck news cycle, like FBI director Kash Patel chugging beer with the gold medal–winning men’s hockey team.

From Slate ● Feb. 25, 2026

The protest in New York was on at the moment, but let me tell you, it didn’t look like a love train chugging through the Big Apple.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx