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• lug
  lug

  verb (used with object)

  to pull or carry with force or effort.
• Lug
  Lug

  noun

  an ancient Irish god, probably a solar deity.

lug

¹ American  

[luhg] / lʌg /

verb (used with object)

• lugs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• lugged,
  past participle,  past
• lugging
  present participle

1. to pull or carry with force or effort.

   to lug a suitcase upstairs.

2. to introduce or interject in an inappropriate or irrelevant manner.

   to lug personalities into a discussion of philosophy.

3. (of a sailing ship) to carry an excessive amount of (sail) for the conditions prevailing.

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verb (used without object)

• lugs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• lugged,
  past participle,  past
• lugging
  present participle

1. to pull or tug laboriously.

2. (of an engine or machine) to jerk, hesitate, or strain.

   The engine lugs when we climb a steep hill.

noun

1. an act or instance of lugging; a forcible pull; haul.

2. a wooden box for transporting fruit or vegetables.

3. Slang. a request for or exaction of money, as for political purposes.

   They put the lug on him at the office.

lug ² American  

[luhg] / lʌg /

noun

1. a projecting piece by which anything is held or supported.

2. a ridge or welt that helps to provide traction, as on a tire or the sole of a shoe.

3. Masonry. either of the ends of a lug sill.

4. Carpentry. (in a double-hung window) one of a pair of projections extending downward from the ends of the meeting rail of the upper sash.

5. a leather loop hanging down from a saddle, through which a shaft is passed for support.

6. Shipbuilding. clip.

7. Slang.

   1. an awkward, clumsy fellow.

   2. a blockhead.

   3. a man; guy.

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lug ³ American  

[luhg] / lʌg /

noun

1. lugsail.

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lug ⁴ American  

[luhg] / lʌg /

noun

1. lugworm.

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Lug ⁵ American  

[lookh] / lʊx /

noun

1. an ancient Irish god, probably a solar deity.

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lug ¹ British  

/ lʌɡ /

noun

1. a projecting piece by which something is connected, supported, or lifted

2. Also called: tug. a leather loop used in harness for various purposes

3. a box or basket for vegetables or fruit with a capacity of 28 to 40 pounds

4. dialect another word for ear 1

5. slang a man, esp a stupid or awkward one

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lug ² British  

/ lʌɡ /

verb

1. to carry or drag (something heavy) with great effort

2. (tr) to introduce (an irrelevant topic) into a conversation or discussion

3. (tr) (of a sailing vessel) to carry too much (sail) for the amount of wind blowing

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noun

1. the act or an instance of lugging

lug ³ British  

/ lʌɡ /

noun

1. nautical short for lugsail

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lug ⁴ British  

/ lʌɡ /

noun

1. short for lugworm

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unlugged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• lugging
  present
• lugged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• lug
  simple
• lugs
  simple
• have lugged
  perfect
• has lugged
  perfect
• am lugging
  progressive
• are lugging
  progressive
• is lugging
  progressive
• have been lugging
  perfect progressive
• has been lugging
  perfect progressive

Past

• lugged
  simple
• had lugged
  perfect
• was lugging
  progressive
• were lugging
  progressive
• had been lugging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will lug
  simple
• will have lugged
  perfect
• will be lugging
  progressive
• will have been lugging
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of lug¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English luggen, from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian lugge, Swedish lugga “to pull by the hair”

Origin of lug²

First recorded in 1485–95; from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian, Swedish lugg “forelock”; see lug ¹

Origin of lug³

By shortening

Origin of lug⁴

First recorded in 1595–1605; earlier lugg; perhaps special use of lug ²

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Explanation

To lug something is to drag or haul it. If you have to lug a heavy backpack to school, look into buying a fashionable backpack on wheels. If you overpack for a trip, you might end up having to lug your suitcases around the airport, and if your grocery bag breaks on your way home, you'll have to lug your gallon of milk and bunches of bananas in your arms instead. As a noun, lug has several less common meanings, including "a handle-like projection," and "an asymmetrical four-sized sail." Informally, a lug is also an ear in Scotland, and a bully in North America.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lug Lug lugs lugged lugging

Most people would vouch for specific items, such as a spare tire or a lug wrench, if they had limited choices on what to keep in their car every day.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

I’m wheeling my bike off it with balletic ease, definitely not annoying my fellow commuters as I lug it down the stairs.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

They then lug heavy loads back home, spreading the seaweed out on the ground and snipping off residue.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

Another reported that the artist would wake up at 3 a.m. to lug his supplies to the perfect spot and, in the throes of his work, would forget to eat all day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

We lug buckets of water from the river for cooking and washing and drinking.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

"Lug nuts do not shake themselves loose and fall off all at the same time without warning," he said.

From Fox News ● Oct. 21, 2021

Lug up some camping chairs, beverages, and flameless candles, and you have a pleasant change of scenery.

From Slate ● May 22, 2020

I was introduced to the routine that the three dozen other riders had already adopted: Lug your duffle bag down from the truck.

From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2019

In San Francisco Elsa Maxwell gave a party, plugging Foyers du Soldat, incidentally plugging her motion picture The Lady and the Lug.

From Time Magazine Archive

What others say is that Lug son of Ethliu fought on Cuchulain's side at the Sessrech Bresligè.

From The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Táin Bó Cúalnge by Joseph Dunn

Every morning, he lugs a five-gallon water tank into his trailer, and he eats lunch with a group of other founders on the site.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

The lugs and heroes and bums all change, but not the narrative.

From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2024

Infrastructure also plays a role, with leaks plaguing the network that lugs water up to and across Mexico's high-altitude capital.

From Reuters ● Apr. 27, 2023

“I get about $8.75,” said Emy, who told me she lugs two suitcases with her when she takes an Uber to Long Beach to begin her five-day shift.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2023

A short time later, he lugs a great cauldron into the room and begins ladling soup into cracked earthenware bowls.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

Once a week after her parental leave, she lugged the hulking computer to the office and downloaded the latest version of the film so she could keep working after bedtime.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

Duchamp clambered into a taxi, packed up his canvas and lugged it home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

In the same central train stations of that city, old women then sold carrots and beets from cardboard boxes they had lugged from their country homes.

From Salon ● Dec. 3, 2025

On Thursday, after each lugged a 60-pound electric bicycle up the locally-known Hillside Vance “secret staircase,” the couple were able to gain access to their street in the Huntington Palisades.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2025

I lugged my bike out of the garage and sped down the sidewalk, whipped by the breeze in the blistering sun.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

You’re right that standing up all day is tough, even if you’re not lugging boxes to and from the warehouse or climbing ladders and risking your health to help a customer or to restock shelves.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

Groups of all ages converged on the city centre to the sound of drums and guitars, with hardy pilgrims lugging rucksacks and camping material on their backs.

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

Picture, said Hutchcraft, laborers going up and down the rows with bags on their shoulders, picking orange fruit and filling them, and then lugging the bags to tubs at the ends of rows.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026

As a Single-A manager, he was responsible for lugging a printer onto the team bus and restocking the ink so he could have scouting reports in the dugout.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026

One Sunday as Kropp and I were lugging a latrine-bucket on a pole across the barrack-yard, Himmelstoss came by, all polished up and spry for going out.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

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Related Words

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