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

An artillery crew soldier from the Separate Rifle Battalion of the National Police in the Zaporizhzhia region prepares shells for a 155-mm Bosnian M94 howitzer in a dugout during a combat mission in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on October 15, 2026. — Anastasiia Parafeniuk, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026

Wood was vindicated three years later, when a league investigation revealed the Astros had been cheating in 2017, stealing signs from a television monitor next to the dugout and relaying them to batters by banging on trash cans. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

The home run and the bat flip energized Cleveland's dugout and the 30,101 fans in attendance at Progressive Field. — Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

The calmest man in the dugout was Khlivniuk, who had a front-row seat throughout the 90 minutes and was involved in Shakhtar’s substitutions, even using the fourth official’s board on occasion. — Simon Johnson, New York Times, 15 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