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golden retriever

American  

noun

golden retrievers plural
  1. one of an English breed of retrievers having a thick, flat or wavy, golden coat.


golden retriever British  

noun

  1. a compact large breed of dog having a silky coat of flat or wavy hair of a gold or dark-cream colour, well-feathered on the legs and tail

"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

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of golden retriever

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

See Examples For:

I usually kick off my day with a protein shake, feed our golden retriever and take her out for a walk.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 10, 2026

The world’s largest type of rodent, actually; a capybara can easily rival a golden retriever in size.

From Slate May 27, 2026

Miller says she became a believer when her own aging golden retriever, Murphy, had arthritis and his medication stopped working.

From The Wall Street Journal May 17, 2026

And, of course, a cute-as-a-button golden retriever who can shoot hoops as well as he can act is always going to hit the mark, he said.

From Barron's May 10, 2026

He was a big mutt, part golden retriever, part shepherd maybe.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn

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