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

Stealing signs from the bench is allowed and even encouraged, though MLB was forced to ban technology from dugouts when teams began to take it to another level. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026

Targac strikesout the side to send UTSA's bats back to the dugout. —Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026

Which was very much out of the norm for Seager, but not for new Ranger Brandon Nimmo, who was sitting in the dugout. —Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026

Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images After going through his pregame routine Monday, Eldridge spent about 10 minutes signing autographs for kids near the Giants dugout. —CBS News, 23 Feb. 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