rug

American  

[ruhg] / rʌg /

noun

1. a thick fabric for covering part of a floor, often woven of wool and often having an oblong shape with a border design.

2. the treated skin of an animal, used as a floor covering.

   a bear rug.

3. Chiefly British. a piece of thick, warm cloth, used as a coverlet, lap robe, etc.

4. Slang. toupee; hairpiece.

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idioms

1. cut a rug, to dance, especially to jitterbug.

rug ¹ British  

/ rʌɡ /

noun

1. a floor covering, smaller than a carpet and made of thick wool or of other material, such as an animal skin

2. a blanket, esp one used as a wrap or lap robe for travellers

3. slang a wig

4. to betray, expose, or leave defenceless

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RUG ² British  

abbreviation

1. restricted users group

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rug More Idioms  

1. see pull the rug out from under; sweep under the rug. Also see under carpet.

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Other Word Forms

• ruglike adjective

Etymology

Origin of rug

1545–55; < Old Norse rǫgg wool, long hairs; compare Norwegian rugga covering of coarse wool, Swedish rugg coarse hair

Explanation

A rug is something made of woven fabric that covers a floor. If your downstairs neighbor is complaining about the noise, try buying a rug. A rug is smaller than a carpet, which usually covers a room's entire floor — rugs leave parts of the floor exposed. Some are thick and dense, providing a cushiony area for walking or sitting. Rug also informally means "wig or toupee," so you could say, "Did you see that guy's terrible blonde rug?" And if you want to pretend something didn't happen, you'll have to colloquially "sweep it under the rug," or hide it.

Example Sentences

He thinks there might be some "high-status arrests", but after that then other things like Iran, ICE and the midterms will, in his words, sweep the Epstein story under the rug.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Jeffres said it’s difficult to see the rug pulled out from under the Winnemem Wintu Tribe once again.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Sweeping contentious issues under the rug and relegating them to wanton aggravation is one major way of letting these same topics fester.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

While the method still needs further optimization, Ting said, "We may be able to determine whether someone has increased brain activity simply by assessing muscle activity after pulling a rug out from under you."

From Science Daily • Mar. 25, 2026

I brought them down to the rug and pulled each one out of the box.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

Related Words

• carpeting
• mat
• tapestry