dug
6 synonyms for dug, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — The past tense and past participle of "dig".
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Etymology
This comes from earlier dugge (“pap, teat”; compare also English dialectal ducky, dukky, “the female breast”), apparently linked to Danish dægge (“to suckle”), Swedish dägga (“to suck”) and Old English dēon (“to suckle”). More at doe. Compare also doug.
Full origin of dug →Frequently asked questions
What does “dug” mean?
The word “dug” means the udder, teat, or nipple of a female mammal. In plain terms, a somewhat old-fashioned or coarse word for a mammal's teat.
How do you pronounce “dug”?
“Dug” is pronounced duhg (/dʌɡ/ in IPA).
How do you use “dug” in a sentence?
Here is “dug” used in a sentence: “The piglets fought over their mother's dugs.”
What part of speech is “dug”?
“Dug” is a noun.
Is “dug” a common word?
“Dug” is a fairly common word in modern English.
What is the difference between dug as a past tense verb and dug as a noun?
Dug is most commonly the past tense of "dig," as in "she dug a hole." As a separate noun, dug refers to the udder, teat, or nipple of a female mammal, an older and now less common usage.
Is dug as a noun commonly used today?
No, the noun sense of dug referring to an animal's udder or teat is dated and rarely used in modern English, appearing mostly in older or dialectal writing.
