lug

verb

ˈləg 

lugged; lugging

transitive verb

1

: drag, pull

2

: to carry laboriously

lugged the bags to the car

3

: to introduce in a forced manner

lugs my name into the argument

intransitive verb

1

: to pull with effort : tug

2

: to move heavily or by jerks

the car lugs on hills

3

of a racehorse : to swerve from the course toward or away from the inside rail

Synonyms of lug

• pull
• haul
• drag

Examples of lug in a Sentence

She had to lug her suitcases out to the car by herself.

I was lugging a heavy camera around all day.

Recent Examples on the Web

But lugging the household vacuum to the garage isn’t worth the hassle. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026

Or how Kyle Larson remembered the weekends lugging their kids to different racetracks to watch them race go-karts or Legends cars. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 23 May 2026

Trail council volunteers set the route, provide daily hike leaders, set up camp for the group and lug most of the equipment — outside of daypacks, water and snacks — to the group’s next campsite. —Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026

Amazon Kindle For readers who don’t want to lug around a 300-page book, a Kindle is a lifesaver. —Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 12 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English luggen to pull by the hair or ear, drag, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian lugga to pull by the hair

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for lug

• chug
• doug
• drug
• dug
• hug
• jug
• mug
• plug
• pug
• rug
• rugg
• shrug

Kids Definition

lug

1 of 2 verb

ˈləg 

lugged; lugging

: to pull or carry especially with great effort

lug

2 of 2 noun

1

: a part (as a handle) that projects like an ear

2

: a nut used to hold a wheel on an automotive vehicle

3

a

: a big clumsy fellow

b

: an ordinary commonplace person