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• rug
  rug

  noun

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

  abbreviation

  restricted users group

rug

American  

[ruhg] / rʌg /

noun

• rugs
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• ruglike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rugs
  plural

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

See Examples For:

rug RUG rugs

“Imagine rug pulling your own base,” said one Reddit user in a post on the r/CryptoCurrency subreddit.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

Yet the rug was pulled out from organization men beginning in the 1970s.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

Lorne believes he caught hantavirus from mouse droppings after shaking a rug in his attic.

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

The mayor described his approach as: “Don’t sweep it under the rug; don’t look the other way. Admit that we have a problem.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

We dropped the door shut, yanked the rug over it, and pulled the table back in place.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

A RUG Made of narrow strips of cotton cloth.

From Construction Work for Rural and Elementary Schools by McGaw, Virginia

So do the animal-shaped wool carpets that riff on traditional skin rugs by using vegetarian-friendly materials to create colorful, flattened creatures: a fiery, spotted cheetah; a purple-striped dodo; a particularly silly mammoth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Audit your vents and outdoor unit: Ensure furniture, rugs or curtains aren’t blocking indoor supply or return vents.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

Before that, most movie palaces across the U.S. did not allow food and drinks inside auditoriums, as they wanted to preserve their carpets, rugs and upholstered seats, Melnick said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026

Before finding her way onto the screen, Tânia Maria has long made a living as an artisan handcrafting rugs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026

There weren’t any family photos up yet, no artwork or decorations beyond a few rugs and new curtains.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• carpeting
• mat
• tapestry