slug

[ sluhg ]

/ slʌg /

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See synonyms for: slug / slugged on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

a nudibranch.

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

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

any heavy piece of crude metal.

Printing.

a thick strip of type metal less than type-high.
such a strip containing a type-high number or other character for temporary use.
a line of type in one piece, as produced by a Linotype.

Informal. a shot of liquor taken neat; belt.

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

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

Journalism.

Also called catchline. a short phrase or title used to indicate the story content of newspaper or magazine copy.
the line of type carrying this information.

Metalworking. a small piece of metal ready for processing.

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

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.

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

verb (used with object), slugged, slug·ging.

Printing.

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

Journalism. to furnish (copy) with a slug.

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

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of slug

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

OTHER WORDS FROM slug

sluglike, adjective

Other definitions for slug (2 of 2)

slug²

[ sluhg ]

/ slʌg /

Informal.

verb (used with object), slugged, slug·ging.

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

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

verb (used without object), slugged, slug·ging.

to hit or be capable of hitting hard.

to trudge, fight, or push onward, as against obstacles or through mud or snow: The infantry slugged up the hill and dug in.

noun

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

OTHER WORDS FOR slug

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

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

See synonyms for slug on Thesaurus.com

Origin of slug

First recorded in 1845–50; perhaps from slug¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use slug in a sentence

Ensure you are using the right keywords in the slug and categorize your posts sensibly to give your products the best chance of being found.
Four common SEO problems with Shopify and how to fix them|Edward Coram James|February 19, 2021|Search Engine Watch
As a result, more couples are willing to reach settlements instead of slugging it out in court for years.
Is Alimony Anti-Feminist?|Keli Goff|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2010, he served a year in prison for felony assault after slugging his way through a bar fight.
Deep Thoughts from War Machine's Sexist, Racist Prison Blog|Melissa Leon|August 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Eventually Guy lost his mount as well, and the two men got down to a slugging match with their swords.
The ‘GOT’ Red Viper and Mountain Duel, and a History of Medieval Trial by Combat|Steven Isaac|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

By 1994, the league slugging percentage was a preposterous .424, the highest since 1930.
Are Athletes Using Your Tax Dollars to Juice?|Stuart Stevens|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But most of us are still probably better off slugging it out ourselves—without a lawyer.
Postnups Becoming More Popular, but They’re Not for Everyone|Jacoba Urist|May 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Why, the first game you play in some one will tease you into slugging him and the umpire will fire you.
The Varmint|Owen Johnson
At the moment they're slugging it out to see which one gets to levy a head tax on the juke boxes in this section.
"And That's How It Was, Officer"|Ralph Sholto
There was a strong breeze blowing aft and the barque was slugging along under all plain sail.
The Viking Blood|Frederick William Wallace
There's no wholesale slugging as in the early days, when the football field was more like a prize ring than a gridiron.
Bert Wilson on the Gridiron|J. W. Duffield
Moreover, this result would require no use of force—no "slugging" of non-unionists, since there would be none to be slugged.
Essentials of Economic Theory|John Bates Clark

British Dictionary definitions for slug (1 of 3)

slug¹

/ (slʌɡ) /

noun

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 reducedCompare sea slug Related adjective: limacine

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

informal, mainly US and Canadian a slow-moving or lazy person or animal

Word Origin for slug

C15 (in the sense: a slow person or animal): probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian (dialect) sluggje

British Dictionary definitions for slug (2 of 3)

slug²

/ (slʌɡ) /

noun

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

metallurgy a metal blank from which small forgings are worked

a bullet or pellet larger than a pellet of buckshot

mainly US and Canadian a metal token for use in slot machines, etc

printing

a thick strip of type metal that is less than type-high and is used for spacing
a similar strip carrying a type-high letter, used as a temporary mark by compositors
a metal strip containing a line of characters as produced by a linecaster

a draught of a drink, esp an alcoholic one

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

Word Origin for slug

C17 (bullet), C19 (printing): perhaps from slug 1, with allusion to the shape of the animal

British Dictionary definitions for slug (3 of 3)

slug³

/ (slʌɡ) /

verb slugs, slugging or slugged

to hit very hard and solidly, as in boxing

(intr) US and Canadian to plod as if through snow

(tr) Australian and NZ informal to charge (someone) an exorbitant price

slug it out informal to fight, compete, or struggle with fortitude

noun

an act of slugging; heavy blow

Australian and NZ informal an exorbitant charge or price

Word Origin for slug

C19: perhaps from slug ² (bullet)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

slug

Origin of slug

OTHER WORDS FROM slug

Other definitions for slug (2 of 2)

OTHER WORDS FOR slug

Origin of slug

Words related to slug

How to use slug in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for slug (1 of 3)

Word Origin for slug

British Dictionary definitions for slug (2 of 3)

Word Origin for slug

British Dictionary definitions for slug (3 of 3)

Word Origin for slug