pig

16 synonyms for pig, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A farm animal with a snout and cloven hooves, raised for meat.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

bull

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

boar sow hog swine raven

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

piglet hoglet grice oinker piggy porker squealer guttle devour farrow

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A farm animal with a snout and cloven hooves, raised for meat.

“The pig rolled happily in the mud beside the fence.”

boar sow piglet hoglet grice hog oinker piggy porker squealer swine bull

2. verb

To eat greedily (informal, usually with "out").

“I pigged out on crisps while watching the film.”

raven guttle devour farrow

How to use pig

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

pig out guinea pig pigs in a blanket

"Pig" for police officer is slang and can be offensive; avoid it in neutral or formal contexts.

Etymology

From Old English roots referring to a young swine; the slang sense meaning "police officer" has been recorded since at least the late 1700s.

Full origin of pig →

Frequently asked questions

What does “pig” mean?

The word “pig” means a farm animal with a snout and cloven hooves, raised for meat. In plain terms, the farm animal, or (informally) someone greedy, or slang for a police officer.

How do you pronounce “pig”?

“Pig” is pronounced pihg (/pɪɡ/ in IPA).

How do you use “pig” in a sentence?

Here is “pig” used in a sentence: “The farmer kept a dozen pigs in the barn.”

What is another word for “pig”?

Words with a similar meaning to “pig” include grice, hog, oinker, piggy, porker and squealer.

What part of speech is “pig”?

Depending on how it is used, “pig” can be a noun and a verb.

Where does the word “pig” come from?

The word “pig” dates back to around 1700 and comes from Old English. From Old English roots referring to a young swine; the slang sense meaning "police officer" has been recorded since at least the late 1700s.

Is “pig” a common word?

“Pig” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

How many meanings does “pig” have?

“Pig” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a farm animal with a snout and cloven hooves, raised for meat.

What is the difference between a pig and a hog?

Both refer to the farm animal with a snout and cloven hooves raised for meat. In general use pig is the everyday word, while hog often refers to a larger or fully grown pig, though the two are frequently used interchangeably.

What is the difference between a pig and a boar?

A pig is the farm animal raised for meat, while a boar usually refers to a wild pig or specifically to an uncastrated male pig. So a boar can be a type of pig, but the word carries a wilder or more specific meaning.

What is the difference between pig and pork?

Pig is the living farm animal with a snout and cloven hooves, whereas pork is the name for its meat once it is prepared for eating. This mirrors the pattern of cow and beef in English.

People also searched

bull raven hog swine Sow boar piggy devour porker guttle piglet farrow

Nearby words

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