slug

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈsləg 

1

: sluggard

2

: a lump, disk, or cylinder of material (such as plastic or metal): such as

a(1)

: a musket ball

(2)

: bullet

b

: a piece of metal roughly shaped for subsequent processing

c

: a $50 gold piece

d

: a disk for insertion in a slot machine

especially : one used illegally instead of a coin

3

: any of numerous chiefly terrestrial pulmonate gastropods (order Stylommatophora) that are found in most parts of the world where there is a reasonable supply of moisture and are closely related to the land snails but are long and wormlike and have only a rudimentary shell often buried in the mantle or entirely absent

4

: a smooth soft larva of a sawfly or moth that creeps like a mollusk

5

a

: a quantity of liquor drunk in one swallow

b

: a detached mass of fluid (such as water vapor or oil) that causes impact (as in a circulating system)

6

a

: a strip of metal thicker than a printer's lead

b

: a line of type cast as one piece

c

: a usually temporary type line serving to instruct or identify

7

: the gravitational unit of mass in the foot-pound-second system to which a pound force can impart an acceleration of one foot per second per second and which is equal to the mass of an object weighing 32 pounds

Illustration of slug

• slug 3

slug

2 of 4

verb (1)

slugged; slugging

transitive verb

1

: to add a printer's slug to

2

: to drink in gulps

—often used with down

slug

3 of 4

noun (2)

: a heavy blow especially with the fist

slug

4 of 4

verb (2)

slugged; slugging

transitive verb

1

: to strike heavily with or as if with the fist or a bat

2

: fight sense 4b

—usually used in the phrase slug it out

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• snail
• drone
• bum

Noun (2)

• punch
• blow
• thump
• slap
• pound
• hit
• swipe
• thud
• knock
• whack
• stroke
• lick
• smack
• poke
• bang
• spank
• beat
• slam
• clip

Verb (2)

• punch
• hit
• slap
• smack
• knock
• slam
• bang
• pound
• whack
• clip
• clap
• strike
• bat
• swipe
• crack

Examples of slug in a Sentence

Noun (1)

he's always a slug in the morning, which is why he prefers to sleep late

knocked back another slug of whiskey

Noun (2)

one well aimed slug on the head knocked him out

Verb (2)

she got so angry that she slugged the back of the chair and knocked it over

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

California has 42 official state symbols after Governor Newsom signed three bills to create new symbols in 2024, including the Dungeness crab as the state crustacean, the banana slug as the state slug, and the black abalone as the state seashell. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025

Some swimming snails have lost their protective shells (more like swimming slugs), while others retain them. —Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025

Verb

Outside of outfielder Jackson Chourio and catcher William Contreras, Milwaukee will not be trying to slug, which will limit the holes available for the Dodgers to exploit. —Andy McCullough, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025

Power surge The Padres are slugging more lately. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English slugge, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect slugga to walk sluggishly

Noun (2)

perhaps from slug to load with slugs

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1912, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1830, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing slug

• rose slug
• sea slug
• slug it out

Rhymes for slug

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

Kids Definition

slug

1 of 3 noun

ˈsləg 

1

: sluggard

2

a

: a small piece of shaped metal (as a bullet)

b

: a metal disk used in place of a coin in a coin-operated machine

3

: any of numerous long wormlike land mollusks that are related to the snails but have only an underdeveloped shell or none at all

4

: a single drink of liquor : shot

slug

2 of 3 noun

: a heavy blow especially with the fist

slug

3 of 3 verb

slugged; slugging

: to strike heavily with or as if with the fist or a bat

Etymology

Noun

Middle English slugge "a lazy person"; of Scandinavian origin

Noun

perhaps from earlier slug (verb) "to load (a weapon) with slugs"