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Glite Dictionary
to chug down

to chug down

5.7
Move slowly and steadily, making a regular puffing sound like an old train
  • phrasal verb
  • /tʃʌg daʊn/
translation icon : avanzar lentamente
  • The old steamboat chugged down the river, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.
  • the bus chugged down

Examples

  • At dawn, the tourist train chugs down the mountain pass with a gentle, rhythmic clatter.

  • We stood by the highway watching the ancient truck chug down the road.

  • Look at that old car chugging down the street!

  • The train chugged down the tracks.

  • The old train chugged down the tracks, making its familiar rhythmic sound.

  • As the engine struggled, it began to chug down the hill slowly.

  • We watched the boat chug down the river, leaving a wake behind it.

Synonyms

to chug
vsto chug down
11 5.1

To move while making slow, dull engine sounds

emphasizes slow steady movement that makes a regular sound rather than loud noises

Antonyms

to hurry
∞ 1.0

To move or act quickly because there is little time

How Fast

to speed
137 1.0
to roll
∞ 1.0
to chug down
5.7
to trundle
7 6.7
to crawl
406 1.0

Surface Forms

chug down infinitive
chugged down past
chugged down past participle
chugging down present participle
chugs down third person singular

Morphology

chug + down

The verb 'chug' already encodes slow, rhythmic movement with sound, and the particle 'down' simply adds directional/continuative movement (as in 'down the street'). The combined meaning is directly compositional and follows a common English verb + particle pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb chug down comes from the slow, regular chug sound of old steam engines and boats as they moved down a track or river. So, chug down now means 'to move slowly and steadily while making a regular sound'.