snug
Americanadjective
-
snugger,
comparative
-
snuggest
superlative
-
warmly comfortable or cozy, as a place, accommodations, etc..
a snug little house.
-
fitting closely, as a garment.
a snug jacket.
-
more or less compact or limited in size, and sheltered or warm.
a snug harbor.
-
trim, neat, or compactly arranged, as a ship or its parts.
-
comfortably circumstanced, as persons.
-
pleasant or agreeable, especially in a small, exclusive way.
a snug coterie of writers.
-
enabling one to live in comfort.
a snug fortune.
-
secret; concealed; well-hidden.
a snug hideout.
verb (used without object)
-
snugs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
snugged,
past participle, past
-
snugging
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
snugs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
snugged,
past participle, past
-
snugging
present participle
adverb
noun
-
snugs
plural
adjective
-
comfortably warm and well-protected; cosy
the children were snug in bed during the blizzard
-
small but comfortable
a snug cottage
-
well-ordered; compact
a snug boat
-
sheltered and secure
a snug anchorage
-
fitting closely and comfortably
-
offering safe concealment
noun
-
(in Britain and Ireland) one of the bars in certain pubs, offering intimate seating for only a few persons
-
engineering a small peg under the head of a bolt engaging with a slot in the bolted component to prevent the bolt turning when the nut is tightened
verb
-
to make or become comfortable and warm
-
(tr) nautical to make (a vessel) ready for a storm by lashing down gear
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
snugsimple
-
snugssimple
-
have snuggedperfect
-
has snuggedperfect
-
am snuggingprogressive
-
are snuggingprogressive
-
is snuggingprogressive
-
have been snuggingperfect progressive
-
has been snuggingperfect progressive
Past
-
snuggedsimple
-
had snuggedperfect
-
was snuggingprogressive
-
were snuggingprogressive
-
had been snuggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of snug
First recorded in 1575–85; perhaps from Old Norse snøggr “short-haired”; cognate with Swedish snygg “neat”
Explanation
You may have noticed your pants getting a little snug during the holiday season. That could mean they’re just extra comfortable or it could be another way of saying they're feeling a little tight. Snug describes something that's comfortable and cozy. During a snowstorm you may take shelter in your snug cottage in front of the fireplace. When talking about clothing, snug means fitting tightly. Clothing may be snug on purpose, like a bathing suit, or it may be snug because it’s in fact too small. If you’re “snug as a bug in a rug,” you’re as cozy as can be, or metaphorically speaking, in a very comfortable position in life.
Vocabulary lists containing snug
Comfy Cozy Lingo
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Digging" by Seamus Heaney
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lesson 6
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Starting at a long side, roll into a snug log.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
They will be kept "snug and warm" in the site's aviaries over the winter months when the attraction is closed, with Jimmy likening his role to the "ultimate hotel service for birds".
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
A Hypershell spokesman said that a snug, proper fit and a lower level of assistance can help on unstable terrain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
Beyond the merry-go-round and before the Ferris wheel on Santa Monica Pier, Ian Bowen does business in a snug kiosk overstuffed with souvenirs, guidebooks and replica highway signs.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
May Ling would fall asleep, milk-sated and warm, in that cozy crib, snug under a hand-knit coverlet, a wall of crib bumpers shielding her from the hard slats of the sides.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
We take a seat in one of the basement snugs of the Mayfair space.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 10, 2014
I look into the snugs where the women drink and in all the men’s lavatories.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Yet beside thee he snugs on the settle As thou seamest thy broidery,—that rhymester!
From The Life and Death of Cormac the Skald by W. G. (William Gershom) Collingwood
She don't know me, though she lays her head on my arm and snugs up to me awful neat.
From Ethelyn's Mistake by Mary Jane Holmes
Certainly, there’s more data on snugger suits, tighter-fitting caps and more aerodynamic goggles.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 18, 2023
With this stowed in the fridge, there is no meal you cannot make snugger at the drop of a dime.
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2022
I fastened the Goggles back onto my skull, adjusting for a snugger fit.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2020
Jantzen figured out how to make a superior wool unitard with a rib-stitch that retained its shape and allowed a snugger fit than all the other swimsuits out there.
From New York Times ● Sep. 5, 2019
When it rises we’ll try to get her off and anchor her in a snugger berth.”
From The Boy Aviators' Flight for a Fortune by John Henry Goldfrap
It ought to be collapsing, wrecked by the move to the tablets, which fit existing magazine page sizes for the snuggest transition.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 30, 2012
This is surely the snuggest and most congenial of the top film festivals; so if some of Portman's acclaim rubs off on Venice, that's fine.
From Time ● Sep. 4, 2010
It is three-dimensional, its lands are in rapid motion, and its snuggest harbors are more dangerous than the earth's most hostile coast.
From Time Magazine Archive
I’d wear my snuggest jeans and lay on some extra bracelets and sometimes bring one of the Gore sisters along to boost my visibility in the stands.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
The snuggest house in town burned, an' you thrown out of a home!
From An Amateur Fireman by James Otis
Yes, Washington’s people had almost all snugged up to thriving Seattle or Bellingham, and yes, our population had shrunk for 10 years running.
From Slate ● May 28, 2022
I snugged the blankets under his chin, clicked on the night light? and pulled the door softly closed.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2018
He screwed the cap back and snugged the sack under the seat.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 30, 2018
You might think there’s no safer place underwater than snugged to the side of the largest fish on Earth.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 13, 2018
Mr. Curtain was snugged into the padded chair with a seat belt across his chest and lap, and the chair rolled so quickly that his thick white hair flew back from his head.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
That had been remedied by snugging up a few bolts, according to Wilson.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 7, 2017
Minutes later, it was snugging a Port Orchard Marina float.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2014
Taking care to avoid spooking the financial markets, Volcker conjured a warm-sounding euphemism for the Fed's action, which he described as "snugging."
From Time Magazine Archive
I started the stitch three times and then pushed the needle through the hide and slowly pulled, snugging up the beads almost like Sela had.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
"Why, Martin," says she, snugging down, "here is wondrous soft bed and fragrant."
From Black Bartlemy's Treasure by Jeffery Farnol
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
