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

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

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

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

Influencers in cowboy hats chugged cartons of milk.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 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

They chugged into the dock, tying up at the far end.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Walk around New York and you'll likely hear the chugging of petrol generators powering the city's tens of thousands of food carts.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

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

That began with the shocked roar that met Rush’s first number, 1977’s “Xanadu,” a chugging slab of custom-van-tested shag splendor, akin to kicking off a trick show with the most dangerous stunt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 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

Buses were already chugging down Broadway as the sun rose in the east.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro