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

Patricia Clarkson and Amy Madigan are also in the dugout for what is being described as a love letter to baseball and is based on a short story by Dave Eggers, the author behind A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

As the Rays celebrated on the field at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, a few Yankees lingered in the dugout and watched their rivals’ joy in pain. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026

The stadium went silent, save for the shouts from the visiting team’s dugout. — Nicolas Villamil, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026

The man in charge of the dugout is Will Venable, who played in the majors from 2008 to 2016. — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 7 Oct. 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