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

The boilerplate praise chug of the song has one upside: It forces the “Rap God” to slow down.

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026

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

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 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

There are three in the house: Louise, an 18-year-old puggle; Henry, a 13-year-old Chihuahua terrier and Lily, a 1½-year-old chug.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2026

We gobble up our sandwiches and chug down our milk while Mami stands over us trying to get us to slow down.

From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar

Mike Wanchic and Larry Crane’s guitars never chugged more cooperatively.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 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

The investment bank and financial-services firm chugged along for years without much notice, specializing in bond trading and deals in risky corners of the finance world that competitors avoided.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025

They gathered in clusters at the corners, chatting and teasing and cramming for tests, until the green and gold buses chugged into view and the doors snapped open.

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose

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

From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026

The forecast for this year requires Wall Street to keep chugging along.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 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

Saving the Men October We could see them, chugging along behind us in their little Volkswagen.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

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