dog

American  

[dawg, dog] / dɔg, dɒg /

noun

1. a domesticated canid, Canis familiaris, bred in many varieties.

2. 1. any carnivore of the dog family Canidae, having prominent canine teeth and, in the wild state, a long and slender muzzle, a deep-chested muscular body, a bushy tail, and large, erect ears.

   2. the male of such an animal.

3. any of various animals resembling a canid.

4. Informal.  a fellow.

   You've got a lovely family, you lucky dog.

   Security was patting down the concertgoers, but that sly dog snuck a camera in.

5. Slang.  an ugly, despicable, boring, or crude person.

   I had high hopes for this date, but he turned out to be a dog.

6. Slang.

   1. something worthless or of extremely poor quality.

      That used car you bought is a dog.

   2. an utter failure; flop.

      Critics say his new play is a dog.

7. Slang.  hot dog.

8. Astronomy.  Dog, either of two constellations, Canis Major or Canis Minor.

9. Slang.  dogs, feet.

   I couldn't wait to get home and take off my shoes—my dogs were killing me.

10. Machinery.

    1. any of various mechanical devices, as for gripping or holding something.

    2. a projection on a moving part for moving steadily or for tripping another part with which it engages.

11. Also called gripper, nipper.  Metalworking.  a device on a drawbench for drawing the work through the die.

12. a clamp binding together two timbers.

13. an iron bar driven into a stone or timber to provide a means of lifting it.

14. a firedog; andiron.

15. Meteorology.  a sundog or fogdog.

16. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter D.

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verb (used with object)

dogged, dogging

1. to follow or track like a dog, especially with hostile intent; hound.

   After the film, the actor was dogged by paparazzi.

2. to cause persistent problems or distress; haunt; plague.

   She was dogged by a sense of guilt over her part in the scandal.

3. to drive or chase with a dog or dogs.

4. Machinery.  to fasten with dogs.

   They put the helmet on his head and dogged it to the gasket with the turnbuckles.

idioms

1. throw (someone or something) to the wolves / dogs,  wolf.

2. let sleeping dogs lie,  to refrain from action that would alter an existing situation for fear of causing greater problems or complexities.

   I'm thinking of trying to repair the defect in my computer, but the issue is minor so maybe I should let sleeping dogs lie.

3. put on the dog,  to assume an attitude of wealth or importance; put on airs.

   For banquet night we get to put on the dog and dress up and look spiffy.

4. go to the dogs,  to deteriorate; degenerate morally or physically.

   This neighborhood is going to the dogs.

5. call off the dogs,  to pause or stop a relentless attack, pursuit, or campaign.

   There was so much lobbying that the president had to ask the group to call off the dogs.

6. fight like cats and dogs.  fight.

7. sick as a dog,  very sick.

   We went on vacation but I was sick as a dog the whole time and couldn't enjoy it.

8. lead a dog's life,  to have an unhappy or harassed existence.

   He complains that he led a dog's life in the army.

9. dog it,

   1. to shirk one's responsibility; loaf on the job.

      He was a ball hog who couldn't run properly and dogged it on defense.

   2. to retreat, flee, renege, etc..

      Her sponsor dogged it when she needed him most.

dog British  

/ dɒɡ /

noun

1. 1. a domesticated canine mammal, Canis familiaris, occurring in many breeds that show a great variety in size and form

   2. ( as modifier )

      dog biscuit

2. 1. any other carnivore of the family Canidae, such as the dingo and coyote

   2. ( as modifier )

      the dog family

3. 1. the male of animals of the dog family

   2. ( as modifier )

      a dog fox

4. (modifier)

   1. spurious, inferior, or useless

      dog Latin

   2. ( in combination )

      dogberry

5. a mechanical device for gripping or holding, esp one of the axial slots by which gear wheels or shafts are engaged to transmit torque

6. informal  a fellow; chap

   you lucky dog

7. informal  a man or boy regarded as unpleasant, contemptible, or wretched

8. informal  a male friend: used as a term of address

9. slang  an unattractive or boring girl or woman

10. informal  something unsatisfactory or inferior

11. short for firedog

12. any of various atmospheric phenomena See fogdog seadog sundog

13. no chance at all

14. informal  something that is messy or bungled

15. a wretched existence

16. ruthless competition or self-interest

17. informal  dressed smartly or ostentatiously

18. informal  to behave or dress in an ostentatious or showy manner

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verb

1. to pursue or follow after like a dog

2. to trouble; plague

   to be dogged by ill health

3. to chase with a dog or dogs

4. to grip, hold, or secure by a mechanical device

adverb

1. (usually in combination) thoroughly; utterly

   dog-tired

dog More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing dog

• coon's (dog's) age
• every dog has its day
• go to pot (the dogs)
• hair of the dog
• hot dog
• in the doghouse
• let sleeping dogs lie
• put on the dog
• rain cats and dogs
• see a man about a dog
• shaggy dog story
• sick as a dog
• tail wagging the dog
• teach an old dog new tricks
• throw to the wolves (dogs)
• top banana (dog)

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Usage

Where does the word dog come from? How did man’s best friend fetch the name dog? This is actually one of English's toughest headscratchers.While dog is an extremely common word, its origin hounds us. Until around the 1500s, the go-to term for dog, was hund, which developed into hound. Fun fact: the Latin word for dog, canis, is the origin of the word canine and is, in fact, etymologically related to hound.But scholars can't quite put their paws on where the word dog came from. All we know is that it comes from the rare Old English word docga. But where did this word dog come from? Theories have been offered, but etymologists are left chasing their tails. As it happens, the Spanish word for dog, perro, is also of obscure origin.So, we guess we'll let this sleeping dog lie for now.Dog isn't alone: it finds lots of company in other English words that seem simple but whose origins are not. Discover more in our slideshow “‘Dog,’ ‘Boy,’ And Other Words That We Don’t Know Where They Came From."

Other Word Forms

• dogless adjective
• doglike adjective

Etymology

Origin of dog

First recorded before 1050; from Middle English dogge, from Old English docga; further origin uncertain

Example Sentences

The research, published on November 24 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates that this subtle gene flow may help dogs succeed in many different human environments.

From Science Daily

When you think of typical game-day food, hot dogs slathered in ketchup and overpriced baskets of crinkle-cut fries come to mind.

From Salon

A man has said it was "absolutely brilliant" to receive more than 100 selfies from strangers after he put up posters of his roommate's dog.

From BBC

And, as always, cuddling with my dog, Scout.

From The Wall Street Journal

The 26-year-old jumped on the trend after being impressed by the imaginative way another content creator had used AI, by editing some of her original photos and adding AI dogs.

From BBC

Related Words

• haunt
• hound
• plague
• shadow