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

Don’t borrow money or buy a slug of bonds just to dilute your stock concentration below the legal thresholds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 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

A few months later, Trump and Bill Pulte, who helms the Federal Housing Finance Agency, said that the White House was considering selling a small slug of shares.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

The breakthrough came after he contacted a sea slug expert online.

From Science Daily ● May 27, 2026

It was like salt thrown on a slug.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

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

From Slate ● Nov. 11, 2025

Defending champions Napoli slugged out a 0-0 deadlock with rising force Como on Saturday.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2025

But Overton and his fellow seamers slugged the winning runs to see the 2024 runners-up home.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2025

“Prince O.,” said Bono, coming to my side, “you look like you been slugged with a maul.”

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

“In total, the player, the defense, the hitting, the slugging, I think this is the best version of Max,” manager Dave Roberts said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

His career numbers in the playoffs include a .272 batting average with a .486 slugging percentage and an .826 on-base plus slugging percentage.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

In 103 career playoff games, Hernández carries a .826 on-base plus slugging percentage, a .272 batting average and a .486 slugging percentage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026

The Cubs currently have two Japanese players on their roster, slugging outfielder Seiya Suzuki and pitcher Shota Imanaga.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025

The Incredible Hulk batted .273 with a slugging percentage of .581.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

Related Words

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