# glug

/ˈɡlʌɡ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/glug
Updated: 2026-09-02

## Senses

### 1. to pour or flow noisily

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to flow or pour out of a container with a gurgling sound.

For teachers: to flow or be poured from a container in rhythmic, noisy bursts.

- The wine glugged into the glass as he poured it quickly.
- The thick oil glugged slowly out of the rusted drum, making a heavy sound against the metal floor.

Usage: The verb is often used with 'out' or 'into'.

### 2. to drink quickly

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to drink something in large, noisy gulps.

For teachers: to swallow liquid rapidly and audibly.

- He was so thirsty that he glugged down the entire bottle of water.
- After the long race, the athlete glugged down a litre of sports drink without stopping for breath.

Usage: Commonly used as a phrasal verb with 'down'.

### 3. a sound or amount

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

the sound of liquid pouring, or the amount that comes out in one 'glug'.

For teachers: the sound produced by liquid moving in bursts, or the informal unit of measure representing one such burst.

- Add a glug of olive oil to the pan before you fry the onions.
- The only sound in the quiet kitchen was the steady glug of water filling the ceramic pitcher.

Usage: Often used in cooking contexts to mean an imprecise, generous amount.

## Examples

- He glugged the water straight from the bottle.
- After the marathon, she glugged two bottles of sports drink without coming up for air.
- The old man glugged his wine with the unselfconscious enthusiasm of someone who had never learned to sip, tilting the glass so far back that the dregs caught the candlelight.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.