definitions

dog-eat-dog

[ dawg-eet-dawg, dog-eet-dog ]
/ ˈdɔg itˈdɔg, ˈdɒg itˈdɒg /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dog-eat-dog ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

marked by destructive or ruthless competition; without self-restraint, ethics, etc.: It's a dog-eat-dog industry.

noun

complete egotism; action based on utter cynicism: The only rule of the marketplace was dog-eat-dog.

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RELATED WORDS

aggressive, brutal, competitive, cutthroat, fierce, merciless, ruthless, unmerciful, vicious, voracious

Nearby words

dog-cheap, dog-day cicada, dog-doo, dog-ear, dog-eared, dog-eat-dog, dog-end, dog-leg stair, dog-legged, dog-paddle, dog-poor

Origin of dog-eat-dog

First recorded in 1930–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dog-eat-dog

  • The cannibalism is, in typical Sondheim fashion, a cheeky metaphor for the dog-eat-dog capitalism of the day.

    12 Craziest Pie Scenes|Marlow Stern|November 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST

  • His plays have typically been dog-eat-dog affairs; it makes sense that he views politics as trench warfare.

    David Mamet's Right Turn|Ben Crair|May 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST

  • If we eventually lick the Kradens, one of the very reasons will be because we're a dog-eat-dog society.

    Medal of Honor|Dallas McCord Reynolds

  • I cannot live by the dog-eat-dog code that seems to prevail wherever folk get jammed together in an unwieldy social mass.

    North of Fifty-Three|Bertrand W. Sinclair

Culture definitions for dog-eat-dog

dog-eat-dog

Ruthlessly competitive: “You have to look out for your own interests; it's a dog-eat-dog world.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.