Meanings
jug1
plural jugs
- countableuncountableThe amount that a jug can hold.
- countableslanguncountableJail.
'I'm telling you trade secrets,' the father said, 'So don't you go talking about this to anyone else. You don't want me put in jug do you?'
1988, Roald Dahl, Matilda1 more example
I was 'counsel for the defence', or 'prisoner's friend'. My chap had deserted for nearly two years and spent six months in a civvy jug. With papers under my arm and serious countenance I visited him in his cell day after day, […]
1998, John Gunn, Dear Descendants: Recollections for a Gunn Family History 1945-1957, page 19 - countablein pluralslanguncountablevulgarA woman's breasts.
With her left hand on her right jug, she put her mouth to her other tit.
2010, Ben Niemand, The Sexperts, →ISBN2 more examples
I was sucking my mom's left jug when I heard JD say, "Now we will experience the burden of the past."
1985, Epoch, Volumes 24-25I blew into her ear, and trailed a finger idly down her shoulder until I reached her left jug, the better of a nearly perfect pair.
2010, David Mason, Devil's food - AustraliaNew ZealandcountableuncountableAn upright electric kettle.
- countablein pluraluncountableCB radio slangA kind of large, high-powered vacuum tube.
[…] as shown in the August 2000 issue, using a pair of my favorite jugs, 807s.
2001, 73 Amateur Radio Today, numbers 482-493, page 8 - UScountableslanguncountableThe P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft.
- countableuncountableclimbingA hold large enough for both hands
present singular third person jugs · participle present jugging · participle past jugged · past jugged
- slangtransitiveTo put into jail.
- intransitiveTo utter a sound like "jug", as certain birds do, especially the nightingale.
Down in the orchard a nightingale jug-jugged, as if he, too, had dropped into a soft billet.
1916, R. Austin Freeman, chapter 8, in The Exploits of Danby Croker - intransitiveTo nestle or collect together in a covey.
jug2
plural jugs
- A small mixed breed of dog created by mating a Jack Russell terrier and a pug.
2014, Alan Kenworthy, Jugs: Buying, Caring For, Grooming, Health, Training and Understanding Your Jug Dog or Puppy, Feel Happy Limited
3 more examples
When the dog’s owners returned with their shopping, I asked what the little dog was. She was a Jug, a Jack Russell-Pug cross. We found out lots about this crossbreed, thought long and hard, and decided a Jug and a Spitz could work really well together.
2013, Lost & Found: True tales of love and rescue from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Penguin Group2015, George Hoppendale, Jugs: Jug Dog Complete Owners Manual - Jug book for care, costs, feeding, grooming, health and training, Internet Marketing Business
Stanley ¶ Jug (Jack Russell/Pug cross); 18 months old; keeps fit chasing his ball or frisbee, but would rather be laid on his back, snoring
2018, Cheryl Murphy, Dogs just wanna have FUN!, Veloce Publishing, page 110
jug3
- UScountableuncountableJesuit schoolsDetention (after-school student punishment).
“Take a week’s Jug,” he said, “and keep your nose clean.”
1970, Kenneth H. Brown, The Narrows, New York City: The Deal Press, via Google Books4 more examples
I had another role that earned me almost no appreciation at all: I served as the master after classes in the JUG room, where students appeared when they received detention.
2017 June 12, Stephen, N., S.J. Katsouros, Come To Believe: How the Jesuits are Reinventing Education (Again), Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, via Google Books, →ISBN, page 27In days gone by jugs included the memorization of Shakespeare or the writing out of some well-known document like the Constitution.
2017 September 28, Tom Healey, “Jug 'Em with a Jugum”, in Lessons from Loyola Hall, Cleveland: Saint Ignatius High School, retrieved 24 Nov 2021A common infraction that landed pupils in jug was getting caught using a stairwell that was reserved for use by faculty and other adults.
2018 October 16, Ted Slowik, “Slowik: Reunion reveals changes to high school, people and places in 35 years”, in Chicago Tribune, retrieved 24 Nov 2021In addition to JUGs and disciplinary lectures, spats and hacks, paddles used to smack misbehaving students, often went with receiving a JUG.
2020 March 8, Steele Clevenger, “A Look Back at JUGs”, in The Jesuit Chronicle, Beaverton, Oregon: Jesuit High School, retrieved 24 Nov 2021
present singular third person jugs · participle present jugging · participle past jugged · past jugged · alternative JUG
- UStransitiveJesuit schoolsTo issue a detention (to a student).
The first time I met Ben was in after-school detention. He’d been jugged for faking his mom’s signature, and I was serving for clapping erasers in the hallway.
2009, Anthony Varallo, This Day in History, Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa Press, via Google Books, →ISBN, page 61 more example
Students would say they “got JUGged,” meaning they’d been disciplined by a teacher. Most of the time punishment entailed memorizing a passage of a text or an obscure snatch of poetry.
2007 June 19, Julia Flynn Siler, The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty, New York City: Penguin Group, →ISBN, page 60
jug4
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA traditional dimpled glass with a handle, for serving a pint of beer.
More synonyms by meaning
verblock up or confine, in or as in a jail
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
jug · noun, verb
- Old Englishċēac“pitcher; jug”
- Middle Englishjugge
- Englishjug
From Middle English jugge, of uncertain origin. Possibly a variant of Middle English jubbe, jobbe, iubbe, geobbe, itself of unknown origin; or perhaps continuing (in altered form) Old English ċēac (“pitcher; jug”). Compare also jug (“a low woman, maidservant”), from Jug, familiar form of Joanna. Prison sense attested from at least 1825 in Britain.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →jug · noun, verb
- Latinjugum“yoke, tether”
- Englishjug
Probably from Latin jugum (“yoke, tether”). A folk etymology claims that it is an acronym for "justice under God" or "judgment under God". https://www.ignatius.edu/news/september-2017/jug-em-with-a-jugumhttps://catholicphilly.com/2021/10/news/local-news/local-priest-moves-closer-to-sainthood/
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →jug · verb
Origin uncertain. Perhaps a shortening of juggernaut or an alteration of juke/jook. Compare juug.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans kan, beker
- kanserving vessel
- bekerserving vessel
- tjoekieslang: jail
Arabic زِير, إِبْرِيق
- زِير (zīr)serving vessel
- إِبْرِيق (ʔibrīq)serving vessel
Basque txarro
- txarroserving vessel
Bengali জগ
- জগ (jog)serving vessel
Bulgarian ка́на, стомна
- ка́на (kána)serving vessel
- стомна (stomna)serving vessel
- дранголник (drangolnik)slang: jail
Catalan gerra, gerra
- gerraserving vessel
- gerraamount a jug can hold
Chinese Mandarin 水罐, 罐子
- 水罐 (shuǐguàn)serving vessel
- 罐子 (guànzi)serving vessel
- 罐 (guàn)serving vessel
Czech džbán, džbánek
- džbánserving vessel
- džbánekserving vessel
- džbánamount a jug can hold
- džbánekamount a jug can hold
- basaslang: jail
- lochslang: jail
Dutch kan, kruik
- kanserving vessel
- kruikserving vessel
- kanamount a jug can hold
- bakslang: jail
Esperanto kruĉo
- kruĉoserving vessel
Estonian kann
- kannserving vessel
Finnish kannu, kannullinen
- kannuserving vessel
- kannullinenamount a jug can hold
- pyttyslang: jail
French cruche, carafe
- crucheserving vessel
- carafeserving vessel
- pichetserving vessel
German Kanne, Krug
- Kanneserving vessel
- Krugserving vessel
- Knastslang: jail
Greek κανάτι
- κανάτι (kanáti)serving vessel
Hebrew קַנְקַן
- קַנְקַן (qanqán)serving vessel
Hindi जग, घड़ा
- जग (jag)serving vessel
- घड़ा (ghaṛā)serving vessel
Hungarian kanna, kancsó
- kannaserving vessel
- kancsóserving vessel
Icelandic kanna, krús
- kannaserving vessel
- krússerving vessel
- kannaamount a jug can hold
- krúsamount a jug can hold
- fangelsislang: jail
- steininnslang: jail
- sjóða í leirpottito stew in an earthenware
- sjóða í leirpotti með lokito stew in an earthenware
- fangelsato put in jail
- setja í fangelsito put in jail
- stinga í steininnto put in jail
- stinga innto put in jail
- henda í fangelsito put in jail
Indonesian kendi
- kendiserving vessel
Irish crúsca
- crúscaserving vessel
Italian bricco, brocca
- briccoserving vessel
- broccaserving vessel
- bottiglioneserving vessel
- bidoneserving vessel
- orcioserving vessel
- galeraslang: jail
- prigioneslang: jail
- arrestareto put in jail
Japanese 水差し, ジャグ
- 水差し (mizusashi)serving vessel
- ジャグ (jagu)serving vessel
Korean 주전자, 저그
- 주전자 (jujeonja)serving vessel
- 저그 (jeogeu)serving vessel
Latin hirnea
- hirneaserving vessel
Latvian krūze, kanna
- krūzeserving vessel
- kannaserving vessel
Lithuanian ąsotis
- ąsotisserving vessel
Malay jag
- jagserving vessel
Māori tiaka
- tiakaserving vessel
Persian کوزه
- کوزه (kuze)serving vessel
Polish dzbanek, dzban
- dzbanekserving vessel
- dzbanserving vessel
- gąsiorserving vessel
Portuguese jarra, caneca
- jarraserving vessel
- canecaserving vessel
Romanian urcior, bidon
- urciorserving vessel
- bidonserving vessel
Russian кувши́н, жбан
- кувши́н (kuvšín)serving vessel
- жбан (žban)serving vessel
- графи́н (grafín)serving vessel
- кувши́н (kuvšín)amount a jug can hold
- жбан m with a lid (žban)amount a jug can hold
Scottish Gaelic siuga, siuga
- siugaserving vessel
- siugaamount a jug can hold
Slovak džbán
- džbánserving vessel
Spanish jarra, jarra
- jarraserving vessel
- jarraamount a jug can hold
- trulloslang: jail
Swahili jagi
- jagiserving vessel
Swedish kanna
- kannaserving vessel
Thai กระติก, กระปุก
- กระติก (grà-dtìk)serving vessel
- กระปุก (grà-bpùk)serving vessel
- กุณฑี (gun-tii)serving vessel
- คนที (kon-tii)serving vessel
- คนโท (kon-too)serving vessel
- เหยือก (yʉ̀ʉak)serving vessel
- กุมภ (gum-pá-)serving vessel
- เต้าน้ำ (dtâo-náam)serving vessel
Turkish sürahi
- sürahiserving vessel
Ukrainian глек, гле́чик
- глек (hlek)serving vessel
- гле́чик (hléčyk)serving vessel
- жбан (žban)serving vessel
- збан (zban)serving vessel
- джбан (džban)serving vessel
- дзбан (dzban)serving vessel
- дзбанок (dzbanok)serving vessel
Vietnamese bình
- bìnhserving vessel
Welsh jwg
- jwgserving vessel
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with jug
Cite this entry
jug. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jug
“jug.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jug. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jug,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jug.
Source: jug on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.