Dictionary.com

hangdog

[ hang-dawg, -dog ]
/ ˈhæŋˌdɔg, -ˌdɒg /
See synonyms for hangdog on Thesaurus.com

adjective

browbeaten; defeated; intimidated; abject: He always went about with a hangdog look.
shamefaced; guilty: He sneaked out of the room with a hangdog expression.
suitable to a degraded or contemptible person; sneaky; furtive.

noun

Archaic. a degraded, contemptible person.

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Origin of hangdog

First recorded in 1670–80; hang + dog

Words nearby hangdog

hang back, hang behind, hangbird, hang by a thread, Hangchow, hangdog, hanged, drawn, and quartered, hanged for a sheep as a lamb, might as well be, hanger, hanger-on, hangfire
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to hangdog

ashamed, conscience-stricken, defeated, downcast, guilty, intimidated, sheepish, wretched, browbeaten, cowering

Example sentences from the Web for hangdog

British Dictionary definitions for hangdog

hangdog
/ (ˈhæŋˌdɒɡ) /

adjective

downcast, furtive, or guilty in appearance or manner

noun

a furtive or sneaky person
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