lug

[luhg]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lug ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), lugged, lug·ging.

to pull or carry with force or effort: to lug a suitcase upstairs.

to introduce or interject in an inappropriate or irrelevant manner: to lug personalities into a discussion of philosophy.

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

verb (used without object), lugged, lug·ging.

to pull or tug laboriously.

(of an engine or machine) to jerk, hesitate, or strain: The engine lugs when we climb a steep hill.

noun

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

a wooden box for transporting fruit or vegetables.

Slang. a request for or exaction of money, as for political purposes: They put the lug on him at the office.

Origin of lug

1300–50; Middle English luggen < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian lugge, Swedish lugga to pull by the hair

Related formsun·lugged, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for lugging

tote, tow, haul, carry, ferry, heave, buck, draw, trawl, jerk, pull, hump, rake, lurch, bear, lift, convey, snap, tug, yank

Examples from the Web for lugging

Contemporary Examples of lugging

Lugging her trophy, the bawling girl wobbled down the ramp into the arms of her beaming family and boyfriend.
‘The Land of the Permanent Wave’ Is Bud Shrake’s Classic Take on ‘60s Texas
Edwin Shrake
February 2, 2014
Her Spanish model beau River Viiperi, 22, stands off to the side, lugging two large purses and a pink quilted laptop bag.
Paris Hilton's Trippy Los Angeles Release Party For Her Single With Lil Wayne
Jean Trinh
October 9, 2013
Stung by the poor reviews of his thriller Liberty Two, Lipsyte was lugging a bigger canister of dynamite.
On the Peninsula
Bryan Curtis
April 25, 2011
In one hand she carried a sheaf of Clinton literature; in the other she was lugging a stack of large yard signs.
The Boys on the Bus
Ben Crair
November 3, 2008

Historical Examples of lugging

Lugging a fellow up for a pitiful, paltry sum of twenty pounds!
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
I should have said you were, lugging that thing about with you.
The Girl on the Boat
Pelham Grenville Wodehouse
She would need to be a lusty Amazon, Prather, if she took the contract of lugging me about.
The Brentons
Anna Chapin Ray
It's the lugging the poor girl into his ma's sphere of influence.
Somehow Good
William de Morgan
It was compensation enough, perhaps, for lugging this damned Jeffrey.
This Crowded Earth
Robert Bloch

British Dictionary definitions for lugging

lug

verb lugs, lugging or lugged

to carry or drag (something heavy) with great effort

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

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

noun

the act or an instance of lugging

Word Origin for lug

C14: probably from Scandinavian; apparently related to Norwegian lugge to pull by the hair

lug

noun

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

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

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

Scot and Northern English dialect another word for ear 1

slang a man, esp a stupid or awkward one

Word Origin for lug

C15 (Scots dialect) lugge ear, perhaps related to lug 1 (in the sense: to pull by the ear)

lug

noun

nautical short for lugsail

lug

⁴

noun

short for lugworm

Word Origin for lug

C16: origin uncertain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lugging

lug

late 14c., "to move (something) heavily or slowly," from Scandinavian (cf. Swedish lugga, Norwegian lugge "to pull by the hair"); see lug (n.). Related: Lugged; lugging.

lug

1620s, "handle of a pitcher," from lugge (Scottish) "earflap of a cap, ear" (late 15c.; according to OED, the common word for "ear" in 19c. Scotland), probably from Scandinavian (cf. Swedish lugg "forelock," Norwegian lugg "tuft of hair"). The connecting notion is "something that can be gripped and pulled." Applied 19c. to mechanical objects that can be grabbed or gripped. Meaning "stupid fellow" is from 1924; that of "lout, sponger" is 1931, American English. Cf. lug-nut (1869), nut closed at one end as a cap.