dugout

American  

[duhg-out] / ˈdʌgˌaʊt /

noun

• dugouts
  plural

1. a boat made by hollowing out a log.

2. Baseball. a roofed structure enclosed on three sides and with the fourth side open and facing the playing field, usually with the floor below ground level, where the players sit when not on the field.

3. a rough shelter or dwelling formed by an excavation in the ground, in the face of a bank, in the side of a hill, etc., especially one used by soldiers.

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dugout British  

/ ˈdʌɡˌaʊt /

noun

1. a canoe made by hollowing out a log

2. military a covered excavation dug to provide shelter

3. slang a retired officer, former civil servant, etc, recalled to employment

4. (at a sports ground) the covered bench where managers, trainers, etc sit and players wait when not on the field

5. (in the Canadian prairies) a reservoir dug on a farm in which water from rain and snow is collected for use in irrigation, watering livestock, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dugouts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dugout

1715–25, noun use of verb phrase dug out

Explanation

In baseball, a dugout is the area reserved for one team to sit while players wait for their turn at bat. Each team has its own dugout. A dugout is typically a low structure with a roof that's open at the front so the players can see the baseball field. One team's dugout is in the foul zone between third base and home plate, and the other's is between first base and home plate. Baseball dugouts are named for the original dugouts, temporary military trenches where troops shelter during battle. A boat made from a hollowed out log is another kind of dugout.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dugout dugouts

For about $25 each, my friends and I bought tickets behind the first-base dugout that would have cost hundreds of dollars at Dodger Stadium.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

A surprising return to England came via the Everton dugout, where Ancelotti delivered successive mid-table finishes before Real Madrid came calling.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

As the European season begins, Mourinho is back in the dugout at Real Madrid, where he previously spent three years as one of half of Spanish soccer’s most ferocious rivalry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

ABC, which broadcast the World Series that year, showed John looking visibly upset and surprised as he paced the dugout.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

He pulled his bag out from under the dugout bench where we’d stashed ’em, but when he saw the look I was giving him he pushed it back under.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

The four shelter in forest dugouts, hunting and gathering by day and telling stories at night.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Eastern Ukraine used to feel like a throwback to the Western Front in World War One, with trenches and dugouts reinforced against artillery and snipers.

From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026

The delays with erecting "much-needed fortifications" or the "low quality of some of the dugouts" could no longer be ignored, DeepState analysts said.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2025

Friday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium was different — from the energy on the concourse to the noise from the dugouts and ultimately, the power from the Bruins’ bats.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2025

At the snow-covered airfield were three dugouts, a runway, and a taxiway.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• cave
• cellar