rug
noun
a thick fabric for covering part of a floor, often woven of wool and often having an oblong shape with a border design.
rug
American
[ruhg]
/ rʌg /
noun
-
rugs
plural
-
a thick fabric for covering part of a floor, often woven of wool and often having an oblong shape with a border design.
-
the treated skin of an animal, used as a floor covering.
a bear rug.
-
Chiefly British. a piece of thick, warm cloth, used as a coverlet, lap robe, etc.
-
Slang. toupee; hairpiece.
idioms
rug
1
British
/ rʌɡ /
noun
-
a floor covering, smaller than a carpet and made of thick wool or of other material, such as an animal skin
-
a blanket, esp one used as a wrap or lap robe for travellers
-
slang a wig
-
to betray, expose, or leave defenceless
RUG
2
British
abbreviation
rug
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of rug
1545–55; < Old Norse rǫgg wool, long hairs; compare Norwegian rugga covering of coarse wool, Swedish rugg coarse hair
Explanation
A rug is something made of woven fabric that covers a floor. If your downstairs neighbor is complaining about the noise, try buying a rug. A rug is smaller than a carpet, which usually covers a room's entire floor — rugs leave parts of the floor exposed. Some are thick and dense, providing a cushiony area for walking or sitting. Rug also informally means "wig or toupee," so you could say, "Did you see that guy's terrible blonde rug?" And if you want to pretend something didn't happen, you'll have to colloquially "sweep it under the rug," or hide it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
One head of maths in a County Tyrone school said that was "pulling the rug out from under pupils who need those structured manageable steps to succeed".
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Patterson: People don’t like getting the rug pulled out from underneath them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
"Once we've pulled the rug out from underneath that relationship, it's really difficult to build it back," Logan said, pointing to strong competition from producers like Brazil and Argentina.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Questions about its finances — let alone about its ownership — were swept under the rug.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
He speeds between my legs and bounces around the room, knocking over boxes, jumping onto furniture, and spilling open soda cans on the burgundy rug.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
A RUG Made of narrow strips of cotton cloth.
From Construction Work for Rural and Elementary Schools by Virginia McGaw
As well as curtains, other soft furnishings like rugs can help keep a room warm, says Seymour.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
“Business areas to call out would be candles, throws, rugs and lamps. Those all posted double-digit and triple-digit comps.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
At Toyon, carpet was replaced with rugs and easy-to-clean linoleum floors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Colorful rugs and artworks help to add a vibrant feel to a den space, which features a built-in fireplace, while a variety of textures bring a fresh perspective to the open-plan design.
From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026
It makes the stories patchworks, not beautiful rugs.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
