dog

American  

[dawg, dog] / dɔg, dɒg /

noun

• dogs
  plural

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)

• dogs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dogged,
  past participle,  past
• dogging
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

• dogless
  adjective
• doglike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dogs
  plural

Participles

• dogging
  present
• dogged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dog
  simple
• dogs
  simple
• have dogged
  perfect
• has dogged
  perfect
• am dogging
  progressive
• are dogging
  progressive
• is dogging
  progressive
• have been dogging
  perfect progressive
• has been dogging
  perfect progressive

Past

• dogged
  simple
• had dogged
  perfect
• was dogging
  progressive
• were dogging
  progressive
• had been dogging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dog
  simple
• will have dogged
  perfect
• will be dogging
  progressive
• will have been dogging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of dog

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

Explanation

A dog is a member of the Canine genus, sometimes found wild but often found curled up on the couch when you're not at home. A dog is an animal of the genus Canis, probably descended from wolves, but in some cases more like teddy bears. Animal names are really old words, and dog is old enough that no one knows where it's from. We also call ugly ladies and rotten gentlemen "dogs," so be careful not to call someone "a dog" when you mean, "what up, dog." It's also a verb: to dog (or to hound) someone is to follow them around relentlessly.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dog dogs dogged dogging

Despite being the oldest wide receiver on the roster — “This is dog years out here,” he said, laughing — Adams is learning from and being pushed by his younger teammates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

It was complete with our signatures and an anatomically incorrect line-drawing of our dog, Mittens, peeing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

But that’s not all that happened; the op-ed acted as a dog whistle, bringing out a torrent of abuse.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

Animal Care and Control officials cited “The Exorcist” star Linda Blair after several complaints led county authorities to investigate her Acton dog kennel operation where they discovered 251 canines at the unlicensed facility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

We nod hello to two men who are jogging toward us with a dog on a leash.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Similarly decadent but less expensive are the two mini-hot dogs with caviar and pickled shallots sold for $39 at the Bar Room at the Modern, inside the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Tick populations rely on deer, dogs, mice, and even birds to survive, and pets are often on the front lines of tick infestations.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

Chestnut, known as “Jaws” and “the Glizzy Gladiator” by different generations, said that the appeal of hot dogs at any price might partly come down to nostalgia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

“We plan to be able to bring dogs to work.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

I tied the dogs off to a tree and took the snowshoes from the sled and spent the better part of an hour trying to work it out, moving around in the new snow.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Since its first appearance on the Coney Island boardwalk, the hot dog has been dogged by a lowbrow reputation—low nutrition, low quality, low price—maligned by public-health officials and persnickety parents alike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

However, his campaign was dogged by scandal, most notably including the revelation that he had a Totenkopf tattoo and allegations of “unsettling” behavior from past girlfriends.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

The France centre-back has been dogged by a back issue for several weeks and carried the problem into the World Cup.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

As foreign oil majors -- dogged by pollution scandals in the Niger Delta -- have left many onshore projects to focus on offshore extraction, local firms have stepped in.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

She also felt a strange flattery: the idea of herself as swift and darting and birdlike was new and pleasant, because she had always thought of herself as dogged and plodding.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

One consequence: Xi has so far shrugged off signs that China needs to boost consumption to fight persistent deflation that is dogging the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

“One of the core issues” dogging Microsoft investors, according to Morgan Stanley’s Keith Weiss, is that spending came in higher than expected while Azure has been growing “maybe” a bit slower than hoped.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 28, 2026

Separate corruption investigations have targeted Sanchez's wife Begona Gomez and his younger brother David Sanchez, dogging his government for more than a year.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2025

In a recent article, Salon staff reporter Russell Payne offers this important example of the dynamic dogging Democrats:

From Salon ● Dec. 2, 2024

She was trotting by the time she reached the castle bailey, with Tris dogging her heels, but even so she came too late.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• haunt
• hound
• plague
• shadow