slug

¹ American  

[sluhg] / slʌg /

noun

1. any of various snaillike terrestrial gastropods having no shell or only a rudimentary one, feeding on plants and a pest of leafy garden crops.

2. a nudibranch.

3. a metal disk used as a coin or token, generally counterfeit.

4. a piece of lead or other metal for firing from a gun.

5. any heavy piece of crude metal.

6. Printing.

   1. a thick strip of type metal less than type-high.

   2. such a strip containing a type-high number or other character for temporary use.

   3. a line of type in one piece, as produced by a Linotype.

7. Informal. a shot of liquor taken neat; belt.

8. Slang. a person who is lazy or slow-moving; sluggard.

9. a slow-moving animal, vehicle, or the like.

10. Journalism.

    1. Also called catchline. a short phrase or title used to indicate the story content of newspaper or magazine copy.

    2. the line of type carrying this information.

11. Metalworking. a small piece of metal ready for processing.

12. a gold coin of California, privately issued in 1849 and for some time after, worth 50 dollars.

13. Physics. a unit of mass, equivalent to approximately 32.2 pounds (15 kilograms) and having the property that a force of one pound acting upon a mass of this unit produces an acceleration of one foot per second per second.

14. an irregular projection or knob on the surface of yarn, usually produced by lint or by defects in weaving.

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verb (used with object)

slugged, slugging

1. Printing.

   1. to make (corrections) by replacing entire lines of type, especially as set by a Linotype.

   2. to check the lines of (typeset copy) against copy of the previous typesetting stage to ensure that no line has been omitted, especially before printing or plating.

2. Journalism. to furnish (copy) with a slug.

3. to interpolate pieces of metal into (a joint being welded).

slug ² American  

[sluhg] / slʌg /

verb (used with object)

slugged, slugging

1. to strike heavily; hit hard, especially with the fist.

   Synonyms:

   whale, tag, smite, slam, punch, pound, nail, knock, hammer, crack, strike, hit

2. to hit or drive (a baseball) very hard or a great distance.

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verb (used without object)

slugged, slugging

1. to hit or be capable of hitting hard.

2. to trudge, fight, or push onward, as against obstacles or through mud or snow.

   The infantry slugged up the hill and dug in.

noun

1. a hard blow or hit, especially with a fist or baseball bat.

   Synonyms:

   thwack, thump, whack, wallop, smash, knock, jab, hit, cuff, clip, box, blow

idioms

1. slug it out,

   1. to fight, especially with fists, until a decisive victory has been achieved.

   2. to succeed or survive by constant and intense struggle.

slug ¹ British  

/ slʌɡ /

noun

1. an fps unit of mass; the mass that will acquire an acceleration of 1 foot per second per second when acted upon by a force of 1 pound. 1 slug is approximately equal to 32.17 pounds

2. metallurgy a metal blank from which small forgings are worked

3. a bullet or pellet larger than a pellet of buckshot

4. a metal token for use in slot machines, etc

5. printing

   1. a thick strip of type metal that is less than type-high and is used for spacing

   2. a similar strip carrying a type-high letter, used as a temporary mark by compositors

   3. a metal strip containing a line of characters as produced by a linecaster

6. a draught of a drink, esp an alcoholic one

7. a magnetic core that is screwed into or out of an inductance coil to adjust the tuning of a radio frequency amplifier

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slug ² British  

/ slʌɡ /

verb

1. to hit very hard and solidly, as in boxing

2. (intr) to plod as if through snow

3. informal (tr) to charge (someone) an exorbitant price

4. informal to fight, compete, or struggle with fortitude

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noun

1. an act of slugging; heavy blow

2. informal an exorbitant charge or price

slug ³ British  

/ slʌɡ /

noun

1. any of various terrestrial gastropod molluscs of the genera Limax, Arion, etc, in which the body is elongated and the shell is absent or very much reduced Compare sea slug

2. any of various other invertebrates having a soft slimy body, esp the larvae of certain sawflies

3. informal a slow-moving or lazy person or animal

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Other Word Forms

• sluglike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of slug¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English slugge “sluggard,” from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian (dialectal) sluggje “heavy, slow person”

Origin of slug²

First recorded in 1845–50; perhaps from slug ¹

Explanation

Use the word slug to mean "bullet," "slimy, land-dwelling mollusk," or "super lazy person." If your mom finds you on the couch as often as she finds slugs in her garden, she'll call you a slug too. When it's a verb, slug means "hit," so you might say, "That bully's always threatening to slug me." As a noun, slug can also mean "a blow," or "a gulp." But if your little brother is barefoot outside and suddenly screams, "Yuck, I stepped on a slug!" he is most likely talking about the squishy invertebrate that leaves a trail of slime behind it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slug slugged slugging

"The thought that all of these beautiful creatures and habitats could be compromised as superpowers slug it out for supremacy is sobering."

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

Destroys on stage during our weekly “Roast Battle” competition on Tuesdays in the Belly Room where comedians face off in a brutally funny one-on-one insult slug fest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Data collected by 28 "slug sleuths" has helped researchers from Harper Adams University find environmentally friendly slug control methods in the form of "prediction maps".

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Arable farmers may soon be able to stop slugs eating their crops thanks to research by a Shropshire-based university and the work of "slug sleuth" farmers.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

With the last of my strength, I pulled myself up, slid over the windowsill, and flopped on the ground like a giant slug.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

The labor market’s recovery adds to signs Canada’s economy is settling after being slugged by trade uncertainty and U.S. tariffs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Garvey, also a first baseman, slugged 272 home runs in his 18-year career and told me that if he were playing in this era, “I probably would have hit another 40 or 50 home runs.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

He slugged it out brilliantly with Mr Vango that day; the two of them were like Wilder-Chisora take two.

From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026

He was facing Cardinals catcher Pedro Pagés, a weak hitter who slugged .363 for the year.

From Slate ● Nov. 11, 2025

Officers on construction detail—like the one who had witnessed me getting slugged in the head that day in A-block—accompanied outside tradesmen doing building or maintenance work inside the prison.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Schick revolutionized shaving with injector razors and multiblades in a single cartridge, slugging it out in the marketplace for decades with rival shaving giant Gillette.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

They rank third in home runs and slugging percentage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Rookie Denzer Guzman is batting .218, with a .263 on-base percentage and a .341 slugging percentage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

Tampa Bay added Freddy Peralta—one of the best pitchers in the National League in 2025 who has struggled in 2026—as well as slugging catcher Liam Hicks and shutdown reliever Tyler Wells.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Russian forces stopped the German advance just short of Moscow, but the two massive armies were still slugging it out along a battlefront stretching 1,500 miles from north to south.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• bang
• bash
• bat
• belt
• knock
• punch
• slam
• slap
• smack
• swat
• whack