# pig

/ˈpɪɡ/ (US) · /pˈɪɡ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pig
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. the animal

noun · CEFR A1

a pink, white, or black farm animal with a large nose and a short tail.

For teachers: a mammalian species of the family Suidae, specifically the domesticated Sus domesticus, characterized by a snout and cloven hooves.

- The farmer kept several pigs in the barn behind the house.
- The archaeological evidence suggests that pigs were among the first animals to be domesticated by early agricultural societies in the Near East.

### 2. greedy person

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

a person who eats too much or is very messy.

For teachers: a derogatory figurative term for an individual perceived as gluttonous, slovenly, or lacking in self-control.

- Don't be such a pig and leave some pizza for the rest of us.
- His roommates complained that he was a total pig, leaving dirty dishes in the sink for weeks at a time.

### 3. police officer

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang · Vulgar

an insulting word for a police officer.

For teachers: a highly derogatory slang term for a law enforcement officer, often used in contexts of social or political protest.

- The protesters were shouting at the pigs standing near the gate.
- The use of the term 'pig' to describe police officers gained significant cultural traction during the counterculture movements of the late 1960s.

### 4. metal block

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a large block of metal, usually iron or lead, that has been poured into a mold.

For teachers: an oblong mass of iron or lead that has been cast in a mold for easy transport or further processing.

- The factory workers moved the heavy pigs of lead onto the truck.
- Molten iron is tapped from the blast furnace and cast into pigs before being shipped to the steel mill for refinement.

### 5. pipeline tool

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a tool used to clean or check the inside of a long pipe.

For teachers: a device inserted into a pipeline to perform cleaning, inspection, or batching operations without stopping the flow of the product.

- The engineers sent a pig through the oil pipe to look for leaks.
- Modern 'smart pigs' are equipped with sophisticated sensors that can detect internal corrosion or structural weaknesses in high-pressure gas lines.

### 6. to eat greedily

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to eat a lot of food very quickly.

For teachers: to consume food in a greedy or gluttonous manner; frequently used in the phrasal verb 'pig out'.

- We decided to pig out on popcorn and chocolate while watching the movie.
- After finishing the marathon, she felt she had earned the right to pig out on a massive burger and fries.

### 7. to clean a pipe

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

to clean a pipe using a special tool.

For teachers: to perform a maintenance operation on a pipeline using a mechanical device known as a pig.

- They need to pig the line once a month to keep it running smoothly.
- The contractor was hired to pig the entire offshore section of the pipeline to ensure compliance with safety regulations.

Usage: The verb is transitive and takes the pipeline as its object.

## Examples

- The farmer feeds the pigs every morning.
- The children spent the afternoon watching the pigs roll in the mud at the local farm.
- While primarily raised for livestock, pigs are increasingly recognised for their high cognitive abilities and complex social structures within both domestic and wild environments.

---

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.