Meaning & use
lugging
Last updated
“lugging” is a form of “lug”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveinformal
The -ing form of lug: carrying or dragging something heavy or awkward with great effort.
Grammar: Takes an object and often a direction: lugging a suitcase up the stairs.
Patterns
- lugging something around
- lugging something up/down something
- lugging something to somewhere
He was lugging two heavy bags of soil across the yard.
I spent the whole morning lugging boxes up to the attic.
Why are you lugging that huge backpack around the city?
verbtransitivefigurativeinformal
Bringing along something unwanted or tiring, such as a burden or a piece of equipment you must keep with you.
Grammar: Used figuratively; the object is often something you would prefer to leave behind.
Patterns
- lugging something around
- lugging something along
She has been lugging that old guilt around for years.
The band spent the tour lugging their own amplifiers from town to town.
Stop lugging your laptop everywhere if you never use it.
Word forms
| base form | lug |
|---|---|
| third person singular | lugs |
| past tense | lugged |
| past participle | lugged |
Common combinations
- lugging a suitcase
- We watched a tourist lugging a suitcase over the cobbles.
- lugging boxes
- They were lugging boxes into the new apartment all day.
- lugging something around
- I am tired of lugging this camera around.
- lugging something up the stairs
- He ended the day lugging groceries up the stairs because the lift was broken.
- lugging heavy bags
- Shoppers were lugging heavy bags to the bus stop.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hauling
- Hauling stresses pulling or dragging something large by force, while lugging focuses on the tiring effort of carrying.
- carrying
- Carrying is neutral, whereas lugging adds the feeling that the load is heavy and unpleasant.
- dragging
- Dragging means pulling along the ground, whereas lugging can include lifting.
- schlepping
- Schlepping is even more casual and suggests a long, annoying trip with a load.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: lugging or luggage?
lugging vs luggage
Luggage is the bags themselves and is uncountable; lugging is the action of carrying heavy things.
Practice
After lugging the shopping up four flights of stairs, she was ____.
Choose one answer.
Lugging means carrying with effort, so being exhausted is the natural result. The other options contradict the effort the word implies.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lugging”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.