Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Labrador retriever

American  

noun

  1. one of a breed of retrievers having a short, thick, oily, solid black or yellow coat, raised originally in Newfoundland.


Labrador retriever British  

noun

  1. Often shortened to: Labrador.   lab.  a powerfully-built variety of retriever with a short dense usually black or golden-brown 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 Labrador retriever

First recorded in 1905–10

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:

Wearing her blue harness, this restless brown Labrador retriever ventures into the debris of buildings that collapsed in the earthquakes of June 24.

From Barron's Jul. 5, 2026

One client of Alexander Schwartz, a Connecticut divorce attorney, spent about $70,000 on fighting for sole custody of a Labrador retriever that the client and his ex originally bought for $3,000.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 20, 2026

Jack, a 4-year-old Labrador retriever with the biggest, friendliest eyes, was gone.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 3, 2025

When Emily, a 12-year-old black Labrador retriever in Texas, began showing signs of old age— intermittent limping and inability to jump on the bed—her owner, Maxine Clegg, started getting nervous about her best friend.

From Slate Apr. 23, 2025

I see myself leaning over the stainless-steel sink in the back room, scrubbing a large Labrador retriever with flea shampoo and plucking fat ticks from her skin, while she shook and whimpered a little.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training