golden retriever

American

noun

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

golden retriever British

noun

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

golden retrievers

plural

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:

golden retriever

In the photos released on social media on Sunday, she is also joined by her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, her brother James, and a golden retriever.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 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

Leo’s family has this gentle muzzle thing that they use on their golden retriever sometimes, and his vet is on Shelburne Road.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

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