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

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

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

I chug a Coke and then stand up.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan

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

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

I real quick chugged the rest of the pop down and ate the apple real slow because I figured as soon as I was done with it the questions would start up again.

From "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Growth statistics continue to point to an economy that’s chugging along as the data-center boom offsets slowing activity in the housing market and elsewhere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 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

Barron’s in January outlined a roadmap for how to fix the struggling stock, recommending that the new CEO should focus on accelerating streaming growth and keeping the company’s successful experiences division chugging along.

From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026

But it reaches across Main Street and Wall Street and does better when the whole economy is chugging along.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

They would keep chugging in winter, when canal traffic was immobilized by ice.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield