mug

[ muhg ]
See synonyms for mug on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a drinking cup, usually cylindrical in shape, having a handle, and often of a heavy substance, as earthenware.

  2. the quantity it holds.

  1. Slang.

    • the face.

    • the mouth.

    • an exaggerated facial expression; grimace, as in acting.

    • a thug, ruffian, or other criminal.

  2. British Slang. a gullible person; dupe; fool.

verb (used with object),mugged, mug·ging.
  1. to assault or menace, especially with the intention of robbery.

  2. Slang. to photograph (a person), especially in compliance with an official or legal requirement.

verb (used without object),mugged, mug·ging.
  1. Slang. to grimace; exaggerate a facial expression, as in acting.

Origin of mug

1
First recorded in 1560–70; probably from Scandinavian; compare Swedish mugg,Norwegian, Danish mugge “drinking cup”; sense “face” apparently transferred from cups adorned with grotesque faces; sense “to assault” from earlier pugilistic slang “to strike in the face, fight”

Words that may be confused with mug

Words Nearby mug

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mug in a sentence

  • In Tiefurt we partook of a magnificent collation consisting of a mug of beer, brown bread and sausage!

  • He put his hand to his belt, screwed up his mug, and said he felt plumb et up inside.

    Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher | Eleanor Gates
  • Ever see anything more fetching than those great Irish eyes in a regular little Dago mug?

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
  • The skipper of the smack invited Jim to go below, and handed him a steaming mug of tea.

    The Chequers | James Runciman
  • He went into the room below, knocked the neck off a wine bottle and poured the contents into a mug and drank, smacking his lips.

    The Light That Lures | Percy Brebner

British Dictionary definitions for mug (1 of 2)

mug1

/ (mʌɡ) /


noun
  1. a drinking vessel with a handle, usually cylindrical and made of earthenware

  2. Also called: mugful the quantity held by a mug or its contents

Origin of mug

1
C16: probably from Scandinavian; compare Swedish mugg

British Dictionary definitions for mug (2 of 2)

mug2

/ (mʌɡ) /


noun
  1. slang a person's face or mouth: get your ugly mug out of here!

  2. slang a grimace

  1. British slang a gullible person, esp one who is swindled easily

  2. a mug's game a worthless activity

verbmugs, mugging or mugged
  1. (tr) informal to attack or rob (someone) violently

  2. (intr) British slang to pull faces or overact, esp in front of a camera

Origin of mug

2
C18: perhaps from mug 1, since drinking vessels were sometimes modelled into the likeness of a face

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012