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

WSJ | Buy Side: The Owala FreeSip water bottle has it all: a unique top that lets you sip or chug, stainless steel to keep water cold all day and special color offerings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 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

Boats chug around the lake, careful to avoid the giant water turbines churning along the edge, and the shore's flood sirens are quiet and unlit.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

Fulton lured 40 friends and relatives on board and chugged all the way to Albany and back, covering 300 miles in 62 hours—an astounding pace of nearly 5 miles an hour.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Massie even chugged a celebratory glass of raw milk.

From Slate ● May 20, 2026

The Welsh region had taken a surprise lead through tries from Ryan Elias and Archie Hughes but once the Saints juggernaut chugged into gear, they seemed to be running away with it.

From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 2026

He rose precisely at 5 a.m. for a long workout, chugged the same protein shake afterward, took a shower at 7 a.m. on the dot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025

Another motor-boat chugged into the light with some men aboard.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

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

The country’s export juggernaut is chugging along ahead of President Trump’s visit to Beijing later this month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 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 Coalwood tipple would no longer lift coal out of the mine, and no more trains would go chugging through town or spewing dust off the coal cars.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam