glug

1 of 2

noun

plural glugs
1
or glug-glug plural glug-glugs : a gurgling sound (as of a liquid pouring from a bottle)
Russian sleeper trains are filled with the sounds of laughter, the glug of vodka being poured and playing cards slapping makeshift tables.Hannah Jane Parkinson
The only sounds were by Handel and the glug-glug of the pool filter.Don Van Natta, Jr.
2
a
: a small amount of liquid especially when poured from a bottle
a glug of olive oil
She turned the taps to start the water running, poured in a generous glug of vanilla bubble bath …Cindi Myers
b
: a large sip
took a glug of water before returning to the ring

glug

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly glug-glug or glug-glug-glug
glugging also glug-glugging or glug-glug-glugging; glugged also glug-glugged or glug-glug-glugged; glugs also glug-glugs or glug-glug-glugs

transitive + intransitive

1
: to flow or pour with a gurgling sound
… the Delaware river glugged below us.John Washington
Liquid began glugging out onto the refrigerator shelf.Reed Johnson
… bottles obligingly pop, and liquid glug-glugs into glasses.Adam Tschorn
… like pouring soda out of a two-liter bottle. And while it glug-glug-glugs out, if you were to punch a hole in the bottom of the bottle with an ice pick, you'd allow more air in, and the soda would pour out more quickly.Tom Magliozzi, quoted in The Wichita (Kansas) Eagle
Alessandro parks the martini trolley by us, pours Sacred Extra Dry Vermouth into iced glasses and swirls it to line the glass, before glug-glug-glugging out the gin.Damian Barr
2
: to drink quickly
glugged some water
glugging beer/wine/champagne
Unless you suck alcohol through a straw more rapidly than you glug, drinking through a straw does not raise your blood alcohol level faster than other ways of drinking.Roger Highfield
"… When the police arrived, they all had two-litre bottles of water, and they just glug-glug-glugged so that they would dilute whatever they had in their system … ."Kristina Rutherford

Examples of glug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Meanwhile, his mother (Rebecca Ferguson) glugs down a liquid that has the crystalline aqua-blue of a commercial mouthwash or dental rinse. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 Throw some Nat King Cole on the HiFi, shake and stir with swagger, and top everything off with a generous glug of ring-a-ding-ding. Allison Robicelli, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2023 Summer or winter, before dinner or as a nightcap, while watching sports or cooking for friends—you’ll catch me tipping a glug of amaro (any kind!) over ice and topping it with seltzer, sparkling wine, or both. Kendra Vaculin, Bon Appétit, 12 Nov. 2023 First, reheat the beans with a glug of olive oil, one bay leaf, a pinch of cumin and, if desired, some red chile flakes. Mahira Rivers, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023 The fruity flavors came from a glug of orange juice whisked right into the batter and a bright raspberry purée drizzled over the top—a combo that felt, despite its French toast base, very special indeed. Kendra Vaculin, Bon Appétit, 21 Feb. 2022 Even a glug of coconut and almond creamer doesn’t help much. Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 23 Sep. 2022 Once every two weeks, my plants get a big glug of this drink. Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2021 Every morning during Ramadan, high school soccer player Zara Hasan wakes up around 4:30 a.m. for a quick bowl of oatmeal and quite a few glugs of water for suhoor. Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2023
Verb
The rest of us apparently just glug it down. Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

imitative

Verb

derivative of glug entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1707, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of glug was in 1707

Dictionary Entries Near glug

Cite this Entry

“Glug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glug. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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