pug

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈpəg 

1

: any of a breed of small sturdy compact dogs of Asian origin with a smooth, short coat, tightly curled tail, short muzzle, and broad wrinkled face

2

a

: pug nose

b

: a close knot or coil of hair : bun

Illustration of pug

• pug 1

pug

2 of 4

verb

pugged; pugging

transitive verb

: to work and mix (a substance, such as clay) when wet especially to make more homogeneous and easier to handle (as in throwing or molding wares)

pug

3 of 4

noun (2)

: boxer entry 1 sense 1

pug

4 of 4

noun (3)

: pugmark

Synonyms of pug

Noun (2)

• boxer
• fighter

Examples of pug in a Sentence

Noun (2)

a retired pug with battered ears and swollen knuckles

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Sleepy pugs and a return Rinker’s family stayed in a Huntington Beach hotel room with one bed. —Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026

More specifically, Wellhouse brings in the boxy, pug-nosed Wake micro-van produced by Daihatsu between 2014 and 2022 and also badged as the Toyota Pixis Mega. —C.c. Weiss may 26, New Atlas, 26 May 2026

His pug, Thor, lives with Brenda’s sister. —Nichole Manna, ProPublica, 28 Apr. 2026

Veronica, a pug with a spiky pink collar, trudged alongside her sister Betty, a thirteen-year-old hound, in Princeton one recent wet morning. —Gabriel Debenedetti, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

obsolete pug hobgoblin, monkey

Verb

origin unknown

Noun (2)

by shortening & alteration from pugilist

Noun (3)

Hindi & Urdu pag foot, step

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1843, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1858, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1851, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pug

• pug mill
• pug nose

Rhymes for pug

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

Kids Definition

pug

noun

ˈpəg

: any of a breed of small sturdy compact dogs having a short coat, tightly curled tail, and broad wrinkled face