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

The field included a pitcher’s mound, dugout and bleachers, with a menu of hotdogs and hamburgers. —Bart Jansen, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025

After releasing the baseball, Luis Garcia gazed toward the first-base dugout. —Chandler Rome, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025

Jake Cronenworth started at shortstop for the first time since the last game of the season in 2022 and made a diving play to his left for the first out in the second inning that brought the dugout to its feet and earned applause from Machado at third. —Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2025

More Edmonds/Getty Images All of a sudden, Freeland was yelling at Devers, Devers was pausing his home run trot to yell back, and players were streaming out of dugouts to create a melee. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025

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