Hogging

Hogging is a term used to describe monopolizing or taking more than one’s fair share of something, whether resources, space, or attention. In everyday language, it is used to criticize behavior when a person uses or consumes more than their due, such as hogging the conversation or hogging supplies. The word comes from hog, the animal, by analogy with greed.

In social contexts, hogging refers to situations where an individual or group consumes or controls a resource to the exclusion of others. Examples include someone who consistently takes the largest portion of shared items or who dominates a shared space or activity.

In engineering and maritime terminology, hogging describes a bending condition of beams or structures, including ship hulls, where the curvature is such that the middle of the member is higher than its ends (the opposite of sagging). Hogging can arise under uneven loading or buoyancy distribution and is a concern because it concentrates stress at midspan and can lead to damage if not mitigated.

In computing and information technology, hogging refers to a process or device that uses an excessive share of system resources—such as CPU time, memory, or bandwidth—potentially slowing down other tasks. Tools and resource-management strategies are commonly employed to identify and limit hogging processes.

Across disciplines, the core idea of hogging is the excessive, unshared, or unbalanced use of a resource or structure.