Great Dane

American

noun

one of a breed of large, powerful, shorthaired dogs ranging in color from fawn to brindle, blue, black, or white with black spots.

Great Dane British

noun

one of a very large powerful yet graceful breed of dog with a short smooth coat

"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

Etymology

Origin of Great Dane

First recorded in 1765–75

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:

Great Dane

My little office where I write and hang out with my two dogs—a Great Dane and a rescued dachshund.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025

This immediately summons for me an image from “The Friend” in which the protagonist uses a child’s pail and shovel to clean up after the Great Dane she has been tasked to care for.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2023

In the Arnold Schwarzenegger Netflix series "FUBAR," Pally plays a similarly off-the-rails character, a shady operator known only as the Great Dane.

From Salon ● Jul. 16, 2023

Whether your housemate is a Great Dane or a Maine coon cat, when it comes to design, Pelletier notes, “The only limit is your imagination.”

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 24, 2023

I was so busy with my Great Dane I was at the end of the Bund before I knew it.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

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