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

Also under Carr, FIU has spent $6-million in facility enhancements, including a new weight room, tennis courts, locker-rooms for football and a new dugout for the softball field. —Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 20 Nov. 2025

Tamara Thomsen, the state's maritime archaeologist, discovered the first 1,200-year-old dugout canoe in Lake Mendota in 2021 and has been studying the site ever since, according to the historical society. —CBS News, 20 Nov. 2025

At the full-time whistle, Jamaica coach Steve McClaren sat in his dugout, head bowed for two or three minutes. —Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025

The weakest parrots die during days-long journeys by dugout and motorbike to ports where — often still sticky, and missing feathers — the traumatized birds are sold for about $10 each to middlemen. —Rene Ebersole, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 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