A dugout or dug-out is a shelter dug out of the ground.

Dugouts, also known as earth-houses or mud huts, are one of the most ancient type of human housing, known to archeologists. In fact, this kind of housing until the very recent times.

Dugouts are often used as temporary shelters, e.g., during the war or in hunting. Also, they may serve the purpose of an ambush, due to their concealed nature.

Dugouts can be fully recessed, with a flat roof covered by ground or dug into a hillside, as well as semi-recesssed, with the wooden roof standing out.