canine
Americanadjective
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of or like a dog; relating to or characteristic of dogs.
canine loyalty.
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Anatomy, Zoology. of or relating to the four pointed teeth, especially prominent in dogs, situated one on each side of each jaw, next to the incisors.
noun
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a canid, or member of the dog family Canidae.
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a dog.
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a canine tooth; cuspid.
adjective
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of or resembling a dog; doglike
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of, relating to, or belonging to the Canidae, a family of mammals, including dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes, typically having a bushy tail, erect ears, and a long muzzle: order Carnivora (carnivores)
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of or relating to any of the four teeth, two in each jaw, situated between the incisors and the premolars
noun
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any animal of the family Canidae
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a canine tooth
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Characteristic of or resembling dogs, wolves, or related animals.
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Relating to any of the four pointed teeth located behind the incisors in most mammals. In carnivores, the canine teeth are adapted for cutting and tearing meat.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of canine
1350–1400; Middle English canine canine tooth (< Middle French ) < Latin canīnus, equivalent to can ( is ) dog + -īnus -ine 1
Explanation
Canine is how zoologists refer to all mammals with snouts and non-retractable claws. Sound familiar? That's right, Fido is a canine. (All dogs are.) Coyotes and wolves are canines, too. The sharp pointy teeth in your mouth are also called canines. Like wolves, we use these sharp incisors to tear meat from the bone, though these days we tend to get some help in that department from knives and forks. Fun fact: The police call their drug-sniffing dogs the K-9 unit. Get it?
Vocabulary lists containing canine
Dog Vocabulary: A Canine Lexicon
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A Lexical Zoo of Animal Adjectives
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Animal Adjectives
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For Vince, who spoke with AFP at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas, the audience reception to news of the latest production, which sees the canine hero back on the basketball court, has been "overwhelming."
From Barron's • May 10, 2026
After early work in mice, progress in humans stalled—then the breakthrough came in canine subjects.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
Pufnstuf appeared in the brothers’ 2016 Nick Jr. show, “Mutt & Stuff,” about an animatronic dog at a canine school.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
The cancer wasn’t cured but was greatly reduced, improving the quality of life for his canine companion.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026
He smiled the rubbery, doggish Ashton smile that all the men in his family shared, wide and toothy, with the canine teeth on full display.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
