plural hogs also hog
Synonyms of hognext
1
a
: a domesticated swine especially when weighing more than 120 pounds (54 kilograms) compare pig sense 1a
b
: any of various animals related to the domesticated swine
2
usually hogg British : a young unshorn sheep
also : wool from such a sheep
3
a
: a selfish, gluttonous, or filthy person
b
: one that uses something to excess
old cars that are gas hogs

hog

2 of 2

verb

hogged; hogging

transitive verb

1
: to cut (a horse's mane) short : roach
2
: to cause to arch
3
: to take in excess of one's due
hog the credit
4
: to tear up or shred (some material, such as waste wood) into bits by machine

intransitive verb

: to become curved upward in the middle
—used of a ship's bottom or keel

Synonyms of hog

Examples of hog in a Sentence

Noun Don't be such a hog! Other people have to eat too! The new software is a real memory hog. Verb He's been hogging the remote control all night.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Feral horses, hogs and deer roam freely across the 18-mile island. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Nov. 2026 There was no hog wire or barbed wire fence that could keep Old Ripper out. — Jack Wingate As Told To John Phillips, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2026
Verb
Sherrod Brown, Democratic senator-elect of Ohio, similarly argued that state residents were facing higher electricity bills due to the build-out of energy-hogging data centers. — Shannon Osaka, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2026 While the Sullivan saga hogged national headlines, Alaska’s unusual electoral system itself was also on the ballot, after critics mounted a campaign to kill it. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hog

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English hogge, from Old English hogg

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1769, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hog was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hog. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

Kids Definition

plural hogs also hog
1
a
: a domesticated swine especially when weighing more than 120 pounds (54 kilograms) compare pig sense 1a
b
: any of various animals related to the domesticated swine
2
: a selfish, greedy, or filthy person
hoggish
ˈhȯg-ish, 
ˈhäg-
adjective
hoggishly adverb
hoggishness noun

hog

2 of 2 verb
hogged; hogging
: to take more than one's share

More from Merriam-Webster on hog

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