glug: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Informal, Onomatopoeic
Quick answer
What does “glug” mean?
The sound or action of liquid pouring from a bottle in intermittent gushes, often with a distinctive hollow 'glug-glug' noise.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The sound or action of liquid pouring from a bottle in intermittent gushes, often with a distinctive hollow 'glug-glug' noise.
To consume a beverage, especially an alcoholic one, heartily and quickly; to pour or drink with the characteristic 'glug' sound.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical. The word is equally informal in both varieties.
Connotations
Slightly more likely to be used humorously or affectionately in BrE, while AmE may use it more matter-of-factly for the sound itself.
Frequency
Low frequency in both, but slightly more prevalent in BrE culinary/wine writing.
Grammar
How to Use “glug” in a Sentence
[V] (intransitive): The wine glugged into the glass.[V N] (transitive): He glugged the entire bottle.[N of N]: a glug of olive oilVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “glug” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- Just glug the olive oil straight into the pan.
- He sat and glugged his pint morosely.
American English
- Glug some maple syrup over the pancakes.
- She glugged down the water after her run.
adverb
British English
- The oil came out glug-glug from the bottle (reduplicated).
American English
- It poured glug, glug, glug into the container.
adjective
British English
- The recipe calls for a glug measure of brandy (informal).
American English
- Add a glug amount of bourbon to the sauce.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Might appear in informal marketing copy for beverages.
Academic
Virtually unused.
Everyday
Used informally to describe pouring/drinking sounds and actions, especially in cooking or social drinking contexts.
Technical
Unused in formal technical registers.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “glug”
- Using it in formal writing.
- Spelling as 'glugg'.
- Over-applying it to any pouring sound; it implies a specific hollow, gurgling quality.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a real word classified as an onomatopoeia. It has lexical entries as both a noun (the sound/action) and a verb (to make the sound/to drink heartily).
No. 'Glug' is strictly informal and onomatopoeic. Use more standard terms like 'pour', 'gurgle', or 'measure' in formal contexts.
'Gulp' primarily refers to the act of swallowing quickly or a large mouthful. 'Glug' primarily refers to the *sound* of pouring or the act of drinking/pouring in a way that produces that sound. You 'gulp' a drink down your throat, but you 'glug' it from a bottle into a glass.
It's an informal, imprecise measure meaning a casual pour directly from the bottle—roughly equivalent to a tablespoon or two, but heavily dependent on context. E.g., 'Add a glug of red wine to the sauce.'
The sound or action of liquid pouring from a bottle in intermittent gushes, often with a distinctive hollow 'glug-glug' noise.
Glug: in British English it is pronounced /ɡlʌɡ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ɡlʌɡ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “a glug and a chaser (informal)”
- “glug it down”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
GLUG sounds like a liquid GULP when it's being poured from a LUG-nut shaped bottle neck.
Conceptual Metaphor
LIQUID IS A VOICE (it gurgles, babbles, glugs). CONSUMPTION IS A JOURNEY (glug it down).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'glug' LEAST appropriate?