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Showing results for guard dog. Search instead for guarddogs.
Synonyms

guard dog

American  
Or guarddog

noun

  1. a large, aggressive dog, as a German shepherd or Doberman pinscher, trained to guard persons or property and often to attack or restrain on command.

Etymology

Origin of guard dog

First recorded in 1790–1800

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.

Anatol Ward, a Tokyo resident in his 50s, said the robot reminded him of a guard dog.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

Why buy a guard dog when the neighbor owns a wolf?

From MarketWatch • Jan. 10, 2026

The breed “is not the best choice for a guard dog since they are extremely friendly, even with strangers,” according to the United Kennel Club.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2025

To find out, the researchers asked Montana farmers who were regularly visited by grizzly bears to host a guard dog.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 11, 2024

Sometimes Satchmo even thought that maybe he had it all wrong, that maybe Brutus wasn't Ms. Adam's guard dog, but instead, she was Brutus's guard lady.

From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.