noun

slug

sluhg

noun

A soft-bodied, shell-less land mollusk related to the snail.

"Slugs left silvery trails across the vegetable patch overnight."

A lazy, slow-moving person.

"Get off the sofa, you slug — we have chores to do."

A bullet, or a solid metal projectile fired from a gun.

"The detective found a spent slug lodged in the wall."

The short identifying phrase used at the end of a web address, or the working title editors give to a news story.

"The blog post's slug was automatically generated from its title."

verb

To hit someone hard, usually with a fist.

"He slugged his opponent square on the jaw."

How to Use Slug

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDepending on context: a slimy garden pest, a lazy person, a bullet, or (online) the short text at the end of a URL.

Common mistake

In web/tech contexts, "slug" specifically means the URL-friendly identifier (like "my-article-title"), not the whole address.

Common pairings

garden slug lazy slug a shotgun slug the article slug

Word Forms

slugged past tense, slugged past tense, slugs plural, slugs plural, SLUGs plural, slugs singular, slugs singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

_____ left silvery trails across the vegetable patch overnight.

Etymology

Originally described a slow, lazy person, likely from a Middle English word for sloth or a lazy oaf; the snail-like mollusk and the bullet sense both grew out of related ideas of a slow-moving or solid lump.

Synonyms

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Rhymes for slug

lug plug glug unplug

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