bulldog

[ bool-dawg, -dog ]

noun

1. one of an English breed of medium-sized, short-haired, muscular dogs with prominent, undershot jaws, usually having a white and tan or brindled coat, raised originally for bullbaiting.
2. Informal. a stubbornly persistent person.
3. a short-barreled revolver of large caliber.
4. Metallurgy. slag from a puddling furnace.
5. an assistant to the proctor at Oxford and Cambridge universities.

adjective

1. like or characteristic of a bulldog or of a bulldog's jaws:

   bulldog obstinacy.

verb (used with object)

, bull·dogged, bull·dog·ging.

1. to attack in the manner of a bulldog.
2. Western U.S. to throw (a calf, steer, etc.) to the ground by seizing the horns and twisting the head.

bulldog

/ ˈbʊlˌdɒɡ /

noun

1. a sturdy thickset breed of dog with an undershot jaw, short nose, broad head, and a muscular body
2. (at Oxford University) an official who accompanies the proctors on ceremonial occasions
3. commerce a fixed-interest bond issued in Britain by a foreign borrower

Other Words From

• bulldogged·ness noun
• bulldogger noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bulldog¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; bull ¹ + dog

Example Sentences

Despite her challenges, the 12-year-old bulldog mix shines in the limelight, lapping up the attention like a stouter Dolly Parton.

From Washington Post

The story begins with Monsanto’s founder John Queeny, a tenacious bulldog of a man, the son of Irish immigrants who sold miracle elixirs and quack cures to wholesalers along with bona fide pharmaceuticals.

From Washington Post

He has put his political weight instead behind a quirky vaccination sweepstakes named after his bulldog.

From Washington Post

His parents got him a bulldog mix, Delilah, to take care of, and he’s taken up chess to keep his mind occupied.

From Washington Post

After requesting a few known toys, the dog’s owner asked the pet to bring the bulldog.

From Science News For Students

But he thought he might bulldog the case for a while and find a wedge for a lawsuit.

From The Daily Beast

Darren Criss of Glee guest stars in the video as the angry bulldog boyfriend of the poodle.

From The Daily Beast

He seems much more vulnerable now—much more three-dimensional than the macho bulldog we first met in Season 1.

From The Daily Beast

One surprise: the English bulldog finally waddled into the top five, a ranking it had not received in 75 years.

From The Daily Beast

“Every time I turn on the TV, I see a bulldog in a commercial,” she said.

From The Daily Beast

But to-day, though he sees, the power of believing in his own vision and of hanging on to it like a bulldog, seems paralysed.

From Project Gutenberg

He was crotchetty and impracticable, a man of rash judgment and hasty action-as brave and as tenacious as a bulldog.

From Project Gutenberg

A man who doesn't know a bulldog from a bed-spring isn't likely to be offering a thousand dollars to avenge the death of one.

From Project Gutenberg

And now, you young bulldog, back to your room and shake yourself together.

From Project Gutenberg

Set a bulldog on hind legs, and dress him up in coat and breeches, and yo'n just getten John Thornton.'

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• community
• daily
• journal
• magazine
• paper
• periodical
• press
• tabloid
• weekly