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

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chug chugged chugging

Raise your pretend glasses, Kyle Juszczyk and Jake Ferguson, and chug the imaginary beverages of your choice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

When you feel groggy, it's tempting to chug multiple coffees or fizzy drinks.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

But an array of other indicators show the economy continuing to chug along, albeit with the labor market in its low-hire, low-fire mode.

From Barron's ● Nov. 22, 2025

“You mean, besides the fact that my plane crashed on a hostile island, we haven’t eaten in days, you want me to chug a bug, and you keep calling me New Hampshire?”

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

A generator chugged loudly outside, supplying electricity after the power had been cut off.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

Massie even chugged a celebratory glass of raw milk.

From Slate ● May 20, 2026

He chugged down glassfuls of raw eggs like Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky” and ran across town and back like a prizefighter in training.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2026

That was the case in the final moments of a sluggish overtime, during which Taylor chugged through a tired Falcons defense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025

The engine chugged through the twilight, moving down the road much more quickly than the rented carriages we’d taken to Baltimore.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Meanwhile, Cardi’s career campaign keeps chugging along fiercely.

From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026

Silver may become more attractive than gold if the economy keeps chugging along, because of its industrial uses.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

U.S. stocks have kept chugging higher this year, but bonds haven’t been able to shake off a five-year slump.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

As Banderas plays him, he’s a bearish marvel of a man with the kind of earthy soul that would have had Ernest Hemingway chugging salty dogs on his barstool all night.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Where my old classmates are slowly chugging their way to finals, shooting for whatever Ivy League school their parents selected for them.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

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