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

With the Dodgers’ season on the line, Rojas hooked Hoffman’s elevated slider into the first row of left-field seats, stealing the spotlight from Ohtani while sending his teammates spilling from the first-base dugout. —Chandler Rome, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025

The skirmish brought players from both teams out of the dugouts and out of the bullpens. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025

In the opposite dugout, the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to keep their dream of back-to-back championships alive. —Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025

Here are a few money moves to make now.. With balls that jingle and bases that beep, these blind baseball players aim for Olympic gold and leave their sense of limitation in the dugout. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 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