mug

American  

[muhg] / mʌg /

noun

1. a drinking cup, usually cylindrical in shape, having a handle, and often of a heavy substance, as earthenware.

2. the quantity it holds.

3. Slang.

   1. the face.

   2. the mouth.

   3. an exaggerated facial expression; grimace, as in acting.

   4. a thug, ruffian, or other criminal.

4. British Slang. a gullible person; dupe; fool.

---

verb (used with object)

mugged, mugging

1. to assault or menace, especially with the intention of robbery.

2. Slang. to photograph (a person), especially in compliance with an official or legal requirement.

verb (used without object)

mugged, mugging

1. Slang. to grimace; exaggerate a facial expression, as in acting.

mug ¹ British  

/ mʌɡ /

noun

1. slang a person's face or mouth

   get your ugly mug out of here!

2. slang a grimace

3. slang a gullible person, esp one who is swindled easily

4. a worthless activity

---

verb

1. informal (tr) to attack or rob (someone) violently

2. slang (intr) to pull faces or overact, esp in front of a camera

mug ² British  

/ mʌɡ /

noun

1. a drinking vessel with a handle, usually cylindrical and made of earthenware

2. Also called: mugful.  the quantity held by a mug or its contents

---

Etymology

Origin of mug

First recorded in 1560–70; probably from Scandinavian; compare Swedish mugg, Norwegian, Danish mugge “drinking cup”; sense “face” apparently transferred from cups adorned with grotesque faces; sense “to assault” from earlier pugilistic slang “to strike in the face, fight”

Explanation

Mug is a funny word that could represent a cup, your face, or even what you do when you rob someone. And, if you mug someone for their mug, you may end up getting a mug shot taken of your guilty face. Confusing? Read on. A mug is an informal vessel for drinking coffee or tea, as opposed to a china tea cup or a demitasse espresso cup, for example. Informally, a mug is a face: that's why a mug shot of a prisoner is a picture of his face right after he has been arrested. When it's a verb, mug means "rob someone while threatening violence." This meaning came from an earlier definition, "to strike someone in the face (or the mug)."

Example Sentences

It took Stringer the better part of a day to set up his Tattoo a Mug workshop in mid-September.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2025

The final blog post, My Final Hug in a Mug, details Ms Mitchell's "resilience" since a young child to be able to "cope with whatever life throws my way."

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2024

Mug shots taken by US federal courts are generally in the public domain, although Georgia's state policy may be different.

From Reuters • Aug. 26, 2023

Mug shots have, through history, been weaponized in different ways.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 25, 2023

“But if you sign my permission form,” Harry went on quickly, “I swear I’ll remember where I’m supposed to go to school, and I’ll act like a Mug — like I’m normal and everything.”

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• coffee cup
• jug