pigs

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of pig.

   The farmer raised dozens of pigs on the small holding.

   Free-range pigs forage for acorns beneath the oak trees.

   Note

   The plural belongs to the countable uses of pig. These are the farm animals, the young swine sometimes contrasted with a hog, and, as derogatory insults, greedy eaters or lecherous men. The meat and the light pinkish-red color are mass nouns, so they resist this ending: you eat pork, not pigs, and a wall is painted pig pink.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of pig.

   She pigs out on leftover cake the moment no one is watching.

   He always pigs out at the holiday buffet and regrets it later.

   Note

   The verb form spans surprisingly different worlds. Its greedy-eating sense is intransitive, like the senses of huddling together in one bed or living crowded in filth. One use takes a direct object: a crew pigs a pipeline, cleaning it by sending through a device called a pig. And an animal that pigs is simply giving birth.

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