dugout

[duhg-out]

noun

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.

dugout

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dugout¹

1715–25, noun use of verb phrase dug out

Example Sentences

Wilfried Nancy will be in the Celtic dugout for Sunday's Scottish Premiership match against Hearts, according to interim manager Martin O'Neill.

Read more on BBC

Real Madrid's draw increases the pressure on Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, after recent rumours suggesting his future is insecure in the Madrid dugout.

Read more on Barron's

Never before had someone jumped directly from college baseball to leading a major-league dugout.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Three minutes after the first whistle, McTominay was sprinting to the home dugout after the goal of his career.

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The Spaniard's first job in the dugout was with Barcelona's B team before he took the main job at the Camp Nou, subsequently moving onto German giants Bayern Munich and then City.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• cave 
• cellar