dugout

noun

dug·​out ˈdəg-ˌau̇t 

1

: a boat made by hollowing out a large log

2

a

: a shelter dug in a hillside

also : a shelter dug in the ground and roofed with sod

b

: an area in the side of a trench for quarters, storage, or protection

3

: either of two low shelters on either side of and facing a baseball diamond that contain the players' benches

Examples of dugout in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But Black kids in the DMV, who are seeing a small uptick in the number of players that look like them in MLB dugouts after decades of decline, surely take particular pride in what Wood and Abrams do — and rep the Nats hard. — David Aldridge, New York Times, 4 July 2026

Season after season, year after year, the tides have come in and out of New York Harbor long before the name New York had ever been spoken; Lenape dugouts crossed these currents. — Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 3 July 2026

Koss threw backwards and tried to nab Moreno at first, but the throw deflected off Moreno and bounced into the Giants’ first-base dugout. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 2 July 2026

Seriously, the dude’s shrieks could be heard echoing in the A’s dugout on the NBC Sports California broadcast of the game. — Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dugout

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

dugout

noun

dug·​out ˈdəg-ˌau̇t 

1

: a boat made by hollowing out a log

2

: a shelter dug in a hillside or in the ground

3

: a low shelter facing a baseball diamond and containing the players' bench