chug C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction US /tʃʌɡ/ UK /tʃʌɡ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to move with or make a dull repeated engine sound; to gulp down a drink The old steamer chugged slowly out of the harbor. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to move with or make a dull... gulpguzzlequaffswigpuffthrob ↔ Opposites sipnurse Etymology AI details Of imitative origin, representing the dull, repeated sound of a laboring engine; the 'gulp down' sense is later American slang. chug onomatopoeic View etymology graph -> Topics Space, Position & Direction External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # chug **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /tʃʌɡ/ **IPA (UK):** /tʃʌɡ/ ## Meanings 1. to move with or make a dull repeated engine sound; to gulp down a drink ## Examples - The old steamer chugged slowly out of the harbor. ## Synonyms - gulp - guzzle - quaff - swig - puff - throb ## Antonyms - sip - nurse ## Roots and Affixes - Root: chug ## Etymology Of imitative origin, representing the dull, repeated sound of a laboring engine; the 'gulp down' sense is later American slang. ## AI Etymology Chug is of imitative origin, representing the dull, repeated sound of a laboring engine; the 'gulp down' sense is later American slang. The historical trail runs through chug in onomatopoeic. Its formation is sound-symbolic rather than a regular transparent compound, with the older form echoing the sound named in the history. Used as a verb and noun, chug now means "move with or make a dull repeated engine sound; to gulp down a drink", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the historical form and the modern word chug. ## Topics - Space, Position & Direction markdown