Meanings
lug1
plural lugs
- The act of hauling or dragging.
a hard lug
- That which is hauled or dragged.
The pack is a heavy lug.
- Anything that moves slowly.
whereof the one is quick of cast, trick, and trim both for pleasure and profit: the other is a lug
1545, Roger Ascham, Toxophilus, the Schole of Shootinge […], London: […] Edouardi Whytchurch, →OCLC - automotiveA lug nut.
- businessA device for terminating an electrical conductor to facilitate the mechanical connection; to the conductor it may be crimped to form a cold weld, soldered or have pressure from a screw.
- A part of something which sticks out, used as a handle or support.
- A lugworm.
present singular third person lugs · participle present lugging · participle past lugged · past lugged
- figurativelysometimestransitiveTo haul or drag along (especially something heavy); to carry; to pull.
Why do you always lug around so many books?
3 more examples
They must divide the image among them, and so lug off every one his share.
c. 1700, Jeremy Collier, A ThoughtAs a rule, you see, I'm not lugged into Family Rows. On the occasions when Aunt is calling to Aunt like mastodons bellowing across primeval swamps and Uncle James's letter about Cousin Mabel's peculiar behaviour is being shot round the family circle... the clan has a tendency to ignore me.
1923, P. G. Wodehouse, The Inimitable JeevesLuggage areas need to be within sight, rather than at the end of carriages, despite the inconvenience of lugging cases further into a carriage.
2021 July 14, Anthony Lambert, “Grand designs on superior interiors”, in RAIL, number 935, page 48 - transitivenauticalTo carry an excessive amount of sail for the conditions prevailing.
- intransitivehobbiesTo pull toward the inside rail ("lugging in") or the outside rail ("lugging out") during a race.
lug2
plural lugs
- nauticalA lugsail.
- A loop (or protuberance) found on both arms of a hinge, featuring a hole for the axis of the hinge.
- A ridge or other protuberance on the surface of a body to increase traction or provide a hold for holding and moving it.
Lug3
- alternativeAlternative spelling of Lugh.
LUG4
plural LUGs
- abbreviationinitialismInitialism of lesbian until graduation.
If “bi now, gay later” is one side of an offensive, disrespectful coin, the LUG (or “lesbian until graduation”) stereotype is its counterpart.
2016, Lindsay King-Miller, Ask a Queer Chick: A Guide to Sex, Love, and Life for Girls Who Dig Girls, Penguin, →ISBN - abbreviationinitialismcomputingInitialism of Linux user group.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA large, clumsy, awkward man; a fool.
nounA measure of length equal to 16+¹⁄₂ feet.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna sail with four corners that is hoisted from a yard that is oblique to the mast
nounmarine worms having a row of tufted gills along each side of the back; often used for fishing bait
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
lug · noun, verb
- Scotslugge
- Middle Englishluggen
- Englishlug
From Middle English luggen, possibly from a Scandinavian/North Germanic source, (compare Swedish lugga, Norwegian lugge); also in English dialectal as lig (“to lug”). Noun is via Scots lugge, probably from Old Norse (compare Norwegian and Swedish lugg). Probably related to slug (“lazy, slow-moving”), which may be from similar source(s).
More words from Middle English, Scots
Full word history & related roots →lug · noun
- Middle Englishlugge“pole, stick, staff”
- Englishlug
From Middle English lugge (“pole, stick, staff”).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian карабина на теглич, кабелна обувка
- карабина на теглич (karabina na teglič)lug nut
- кабелна обувка (kabelna obuvka)device for terminating an electrical conductor
- дърпам (dărpam)to haul something heavy
- влача (vlača)to haul something heavy
Dutch sjouwen
- sjouwento haul something heavy
Finnish kiskoa
- kiskoato haul something heavy
French cosse, oreille
- cossedevice for terminating an electrical conductor
- oreilleprotrusion used as a handle or point of attachment
- tenonprotrusion used as a handle or point of attachment
- trimbalerto haul something heavy
- traînerto haul something heavy
German Kabelschuh
- Kabelschuhdevice for terminating an electrical conductor
Māori taupopoia
- taupopoiaprotrusion used as a handle or point of attachment
Polish zataskać, zataszczyć
- zataskaćto haul something heavy
- zataszczyćto haul something heavy
Spanish cargar con, arrastrar
- cargar conto haul something heavy
- arrastrarto haul something heavy
- jalarto haul something heavy
- acarrearto haul something heavy
- carrear (disused)to haul something heavy
Swedish hjulskruv, hjulmutter
- hjulskruvlug nut
- hjulmutterlug nut
- kånkato haul something heavy
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lug
Anagrams
Cite this entry
lug. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lug
“lug.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lug. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lug,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lug.
Source: lug on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.