snug
Americanadjective
-
snugger,
comparative
-
snuggest
superlative
-
warmly comfortable or cozy, as a place, accommodations, etc..
a snug little house.
-
fitting closely, as a garment.
a snug jacket.
-
more or less compact or limited in size, and sheltered or warm.
a snug harbor.
-
trim, neat, or compactly arranged, as a ship or its parts.
-
comfortably circumstanced, as persons.
-
pleasant or agreeable, especially in a small, exclusive way.
a snug coterie of writers.
-
enabling one to live in comfort.
a snug fortune.
-
secret; concealed; well-hidden.
a snug hideout.
verb (used without object)
-
snugs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
snugged,
past participle, past
-
snugging
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
snugs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
snugged,
past participle, past
-
snugging
present participle
adverb
noun
-
snugs
plural
adjective
-
comfortably warm and well-protected; cosy
the children were snug in bed during the blizzard
-
small but comfortable
a snug cottage
-
well-ordered; compact
a snug boat
-
sheltered and secure
a snug anchorage
-
fitting closely and comfortably
-
offering safe concealment
noun
-
(in Britain and Ireland) one of the bars in certain pubs, offering intimate seating for only a few persons
-
engineering a small peg under the head of a bolt engaging with a slot in the bolted component to prevent the bolt turning when the nut is tightened
verb
-
to make or become comfortable and warm
-
(tr) nautical to make (a vessel) ready for a storm by lashing down gear
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
snugsimple
-
snugssimple
-
have snuggedperfect
-
has snuggedperfect
-
am snuggingprogressive
-
are snuggingprogressive
-
is snuggingprogressive
-
have been snuggingperfect progressive
-
has been snuggingperfect progressive
Past
-
snuggedsimple
-
had snuggedperfect
-
was snuggingprogressive
-
were snuggingprogressive
-
had been snuggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of snug
First recorded in 1575–85; perhaps from Old Norse snøggr “short-haired”; cognate with Swedish snygg “neat”
Explanation
You may have noticed your pants getting a little snug during the holiday season. That could mean they’re just extra comfortable or it could be another way of saying they're feeling a little tight. Snug describes something that's comfortable and cozy. During a snowstorm you may take shelter in your snug cottage in front of the fireplace. When talking about clothing, snug means fitting tightly. Clothing may be snug on purpose, like a bathing suit, or it may be snug because it’s in fact too small. If you’re “snug as a bug in a rug,” you’re as cozy as can be, or metaphorically speaking, in a very comfortable position in life.
Vocabulary lists containing snug
Comfy Cozy Lingo
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"Digging" by Seamus Heaney
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Lesson 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They will be kept "snug and warm" in the site's aviaries over the winter months when the attraction is closed, with Jimmy likening his role to the "ultimate hotel service for birds".
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
A Hypershell spokesman said that a snug, proper fit and a lower level of assistance can help on unstable terrain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
Despite the beacon, only Hanoi’s cà phê cognoscenti seek out this snug shop furnished with four short tables and a small counter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
Cara found us in a big armchair at the edge of the party — José and I snug together while 30-some people mingled, drinks in hand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
When was the last time I straightened the sheets, pulled the quilt up snug around the headboard?
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
We take a seat in one of the basement snugs of the Mayfair space.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 10, 2014
I look into the snugs where the women drink and in all the men’s lavatories.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
She don't know me, though she lays her head on my arm and snugs up to me awful neat.
From Ethelyn's Mistake by Mary Jane Holmes
Yet beside thee he snugs on the settle As thou seamest thy broidery,—that rhymester!
From The Life and Death of Cormac the Skald by W. G. (William Gershom) Collingwood
Certainly, there’s more data on snugger suits, tighter-fitting caps and more aerodynamic goggles.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 18, 2023
Double-masking, or using a mask fitter or brace over a mask, can often provide a snugger seal, she said.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 19, 2022
With this stowed in the fridge, there is no meal you cannot make snugger at the drop of a dime.
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2022
I fastened the Goggles back onto my skull, adjusting for a snugger fit.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2020
No wolf or bear could lie snugger in its den than he.
From The Keepers of the Trail A Story of the Great Woods by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
It ought to be collapsing, wrecked by the move to the tablets, which fit existing magazine page sizes for the snuggest transition.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 30, 2012
This is surely the snuggest and most congenial of the top film festivals; so if some of Portman's acclaim rubs off on Venice, that's fine.
From Time ● Sep. 4, 2010
It is three-dimensional, its lands are in rapid motion, and its snuggest harbors are more dangerous than the earth's most hostile coast.
From Time Magazine Archive
I’d wear my snuggest jeans and lay on some extra bracelets and sometimes bring one of the Gore sisters along to boost my visibility in the stands.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
He has the dearest, snuggest little house up the bay!
From Madge Morton's Victory by Amy D. V. Chalmers
Yes, Washington’s people had almost all snugged up to thriving Seattle or Bellingham, and yes, our population had shrunk for 10 years running.
From Slate ● May 28, 2022
I snugged the blankets under his chin, clicked on the night light? and pulled the door softly closed.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2018
He screwed the cap back and snugged the sack under the seat.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 30, 2018
You might think there’s no safer place underwater than snugged to the side of the largest fish on Earth.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 13, 2018
Then, almost without thinking, he dove into the hollow of the dead tree and snugged himself in.
From "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman
That had been remedied by snugging up a few bolts, according to Wilson.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 7, 2017
Minutes later, it was snugging a Port Orchard Marina float.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2014
Taking care to avoid spooking the financial markets, Volcker conjured a warm-sounding euphemism for the Fed's action, which he described as "snugging."
From Time Magazine Archive
I started the stitch three times and then pushed the needle through the hide and slowly pulled, snugging up the beads almost like Sela had.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
None too cheerfully he went at the various tasks of snugging up for the winter.
From The Land of Strong Men by A. M. (Arthur Murray) Chisholm
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
