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collie

American

[kol-ee] / ˈkɒl i /

noun

one of a breed of dogs having a usually long, black, tan, and white or sable and white coat, raised originally in Scotland for herding sheep.

collie British

/ ˈkɒlɪ /

noun

any of several silky-coated breeds of dog developed for herding sheep and cattle See Border collie rough collie bearded collie

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

collielike

adjective

Etymology

Origin of collie

1645–55; perhaps Scots colle coal (in reference to the original coloration of the breed) + -ie; compare Middle English Colle dog's name

Compare meaning

How does collie compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Shetland sheepdog vs. collie

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.

There is now a statue of Ruswarp the border collie, who signed the petition with his paw, and was classed as a paying passenger.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

Sheepdog Bowie, a collie and Australian Kelpie mix, has been farmer Thomas Conway's right-hand dog on his cattle and sheep farm in Park, County Londonderry, for the last four years.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025

Runner-Up: I also let Instagram totally inundate me with border collie videos.

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2024

Soon after, Sagi started her competitive dog dancing journey with Pessah, a rescue border collie she got when he was about 1½.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2024

Our collie had died some time before this.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023