rug

noun

ˈrəg 

1

: lap robe

2

: a piece of thick heavy fabric that usually has a nap or pile and is used as a floor covering

3

: a floor mat of an animal pelt

a bearskin rug

4

slang : toupee sense 1

5

British : a blanket for an animal (such as a horse or dog)

Synonyms

• hairpiece
• toupee
• wig

Examples of rug in a Sentence

I accidentally spilled wine on the rug.

You could tell that he was wearing a rug.

Recent Examples on the Web

Make sure to do any spot cleaning on rugs at this time, too. —Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 14 June 2025

The rug is designed to withstand curling, so there’s no need to weigh it down for the first few days of use. —Paige Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 June 2025

Loloi outdoor rug quickly upgraded the look of my bare cement balcony and pulled together the rest of the furniture to create a cohesive look. —Rachel Trujillo, People.com, 7 June 2025

Pollard was instrumental in expanding ServiceMaster’s areas of specialty beyond its traditional work in rug and furniture cleaning for homes and offices. —Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English *rug rag, tuft, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect rugga coarse rug, Old Norse rǫgg tuft

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rug

• cut a rug
• flokati rug
• lie like a rug
• Oriental rug
• prayer rug
• pull the rug from under
• rug rat
• scatter rug
• steamer rug
• sweep (something) under the rug
• throw rug

Rhymes for rug

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

Kids Definition

rug

noun

ˈrəg 

: a piece of thick heavy fabric usually with a nap or pile used as a floor covering