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
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.
Canine chaos as a local wolfdog found its way onto the cross-country ski course mid race.
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026
Two of last year’s seven semifinalists are expected back: Trouble, an American Staffordshire terrier, and Monty, a giant schnauzer, who is currently the nation’s top-ranked dog in The Canine Chronicle magazine’s stats.
From Seattle Times • May 10, 2024
Handlers can pay for professional training from Canine Companions for Independence or Guide Dogs for the Blind.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2023
Canine bites are common, but data suggests fewer than 1% will result in a hospital admission.
From Salon • Sep. 8, 2023
But this morning he swore, by Odin and Thor And the Canine Valhalla—he'd stand it no more!
From The Collected Poems of Rupert Brooke by Brooke, Rupert
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.
