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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

A blue rug calls back to the ceiling trim.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

He happily sports a shaven head – and has no intention of following his dental treatment with a radical rug rethink.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Or just how much has been swept under the rug.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

But I have somehow assembled enough glittering people and enough secondhand objects — a woven rug, cushions, low tables, an impossible number of candles — that it feels like a tiny seventh-floor pop-up restaurant.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

“There was no system breakdown,” I say, kicking the rug.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

A RUG Made of narrow strips of cotton cloth.

From Construction Work for Rural and Elementary Schools by Virginia McGaw

“Business areas to call out would be candles, throws, rugs and lamps. Those all posted double-digit and triple-digit comps.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

At Toyon, carpet was replaced with rugs and easy-to-clean linoleum floors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

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

I’m here in Oklahoma where rugs don’t matter to anybody.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• carpeting
• mat
• tapestry