bulldog

American  

[bool-dawg, -dog] / ˈbʊlˌdɔg, -ˌdɒg /

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.

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adjective

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

   bulldog obstinacy.

verb (used with object)

bulldogged, bulldogging

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 British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• bulldoggedness noun
• bulldogger noun

Etymology

Origin of bulldog

First recorded in 1490–1500; bull ¹ + dog

Example Sentences

Major Tooth stops pacing and does a dead-on impression of Winston Churchill’s bulldog growl: “We shall never surrender!”

From Literature

We bought a house in the Valley, have two rescue bulldogs.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Smith wasn’t just a “bulldog” he was a rabid wolf hell-bent on winning at any cost.

From The Wall Street Journal

Play, a four-year-old French bulldog, waddled down the street in Noho.

From The Wall Street Journal

Her own kids often ran across to the neighbors for snacks or to visit their favorite bulldog.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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