pig
pig — noun
1. an animal raised on farms for meat, with a heavy body, a snout for rooting, and
an animal raised on farms for meat, with a heavy body, a snout for rooting, and a curled tail
The pig pushed its nose through the mud near the fence.
pig + push its nose through mud
Two pigs slept beside the red barn after the morning rain.
Uncle Ben fed the pig with apple peels after dinner.
collocation: feed a pig
A black pig ran across the yard and scared the chickens.
- pig farm
- pig pen
- feed pigs
- wild pig
Grammar Patterns
feed a pig
keep pigs
pig on a farm
Usage Note
This is the animal. When you mean its meat on a plate, English usually says pork instead.
Common Mistakes
2. an insulting word for someone who acts in a rude, dirty, or selfish way
an insulting word for someone who acts in a rude, dirty, or selfish way
Martin was a pig and left his dirty socks on my bed.
be a pig for rude behavior
"Don't be a pig," Eva said when Leo grabbed all the fries.
The boss acted like a pig during the meeting with interns.
pattern: act like a pig
Nina called her ex a pig after he lied again.
- selfish pig
- sexist pig
- be a pig
- act like a pig
Grammar Patterns
be a pig
call someone a pig
act like a pig
Usage Note
Common after be or call someone. Distinguish from sense 4: this sense criticizes a person's behavior more generally, not just overeating.
3. a task or thing that turns out awkward, tiring, or miserable to handle
a task or thing that turns out awkward, tiring, or miserable to handle
Filling out those paper forms was a real pig on Friday.
pattern: a real pig
The last math question was a pig before lunch.
That old printer is a pig when the office gets busy.
Climbing the hill in summer heat was a pig for the children.
be a pig for an unpleasant task
- a real pig
- absolute pig
- pig of a job
Grammar Patterns
be a pig
a real pig
a pig of a [task/thing]
Usage Note
Usually follows be with words like real or absolute. It is used for jobs, machines, games, or situations that feel unpleasantly hard.
4. someone who keeps eating far more food than other people expect or want to share
someone who keeps eating far more food than other people expect or want to share
At the cake table, Sam was a pig and took three big slices.
be a pig at a meal
Ben's little brother is a pig whenever Grandma serves noodles.
Marcus was a pig at lunch and finished the shared fries.
"Stop eating my chips, you pig," Rosa told her cousin.
direct address: you pig
- eat like a pig
- greedy pig
- pig at the table
Grammar Patterns
be a pig at the table
eat like a pig
you pig
Usage Note
Mostly said at meals, often jokingly within families. Distinguish from sense 2, which criticizes behavior in a wider way.
Common Mistakes
5. a strongly insulting term aimed at the police or an officer
a strongly insulting term aimed at the police or an officer
The angry man called the officer a pig outside City Hall.
insult directed at a police officer
Protesters shouted "pig" at the police as the bus arrived.
The film shows a drunk biker yelling at a pig in jail.
Jake got thrown out after calling two pigs corrupt.
plural insult: two pigs
- dirty pig
- call someone a pig
- shout pig at the police
- cop
informal but far less offensive, and often neutral in speech
- fuzz
old-fashioned slang for the police
- police officer
the neutral standard term
Grammar Patterns
call a police officer a pig
shout pig at the police
Usage Note
Strongly offensive and mainly heard in anger, protest scenes, or older films. Avoid it as a neutral word for the police.
Common Mistakes
To do something very badly or make a mess of it.
Min made a pig's ear of the cake she baked for the party.
Did Brian make a pig's ear of his presentation yesterday?
To buy something without seeing it or knowing its true value.
Buying a used car online can be a pig in a poke.
Sara didn't want to buy a pig in a poke, so she visited the seller.
a pig of a something
idiomA difficult or unpleasant thing or task.
We had a pig of a time fixing the old computer.
This math problem is a pig of a challenge for the students.
pigs might fly
idiomUsed to say that something is extremely unlikely to happen.
Aiden said he'd clean his room, and pigs might fly!
Do you think Maya will finish early? Pigs might fly!
To make small cosmetic changes to something to hide its fundamental flaws.
Renovating the kitchen is just putting lipstick on a pig.
The manager's new policy is like putting lipstick on a pig.
pig — verb
1. of a female pig, to produce piglets
of a female pig, to produce piglets
The old sow pigged during the night and had eight piglets.
pig = give birth to piglets
Farmer Chen stayed awake because the young sow might pig early.
That white sow pigged in the corner pen before sunrise.
The vet came quickly when the first sow began to pig.
pattern: begin to pig
- pig during the night
- pig in a pen
- young sow might pig
- farrow
the standard technical verb in farming English
- give birth
the broad everyday phrase, though not specific to pigs
Grammar Patterns
sow + pig
pig during the night
begin to pig
Usage Note
Only used for female pigs, especially in farming or veterinary language. In everyday English, people usually explain it with give birth rather than use pig as a verb.
2. to live in a very dirty, careless, and messy way
to live in a very dirty, careless, and messy way
After the move, three boys pigged in the flat for weeks.
intransitive: pig in a place
The brothers pigged all summer, leaving plates under every chair.
The two cousins pigged in the cabin, with wet towels on every bed.
College students sometimes pig in dorm rooms during exam week.
habitual use: pig during a period
- pig in a flat
- pig for weeks
- pig all summer
- slob around
informal and close in tone, often about untidy behavior
- live in squalor
more formal and much stronger
- live like an animal
a broader phrase that can suggest rough or dirty living
Grammar Patterns
pig in a room
pig for weeks
pig all summer
Usage Note
Informal and usually critical. Distinguish it from noun sense 4 and the phrasal verb pig out: this verb is about living messily, not simply eating a lot.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- pigletnounB1
- piggishadjectiveC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
For noun sense 1, pig is the normal everyday word for the animal in general. Hog is close, especially in American English, but it often suggests a larger or older animal and appears more in farming contexts. Swine is broader and more formal or technical, so you may see it in writing about disease, breeding, or agriculture. Boar and sow are narrower words: a boar is an adult male pig, while a sow is an adult female pig. If you are talking about animals on a farm, pig is usually safest. You feed pigs in the yard, but a farmer may separate one boar from several sows.
Etymology
Pig comes from Old English picga, which first referred to a young pig. In later English, the word widened and became the usual everyday name for the animal in general, while other words such as boar, sow, and swine stayed for more specific or formal uses.