lapdog
Americannoun
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a small pet dog that can easily be held in the lap.
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a person or group that submits to the influence of another; a servile follower.
Regulatory agencies are supposed to be watchdogs, but some have become lapdogs of the industries they oversee.
noun
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a pet dog small and docile enough to be cuddled in the lap
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informal a person who attaches himself to someone in admiration or infatuation
Etymology
Origin of lapdog
First recorded in 1635–45; lap 1 + dog ( def. )
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.
He's not a lapdog that comes running every time they whistle.
From BBC • Jan. 5, 2026
Woike: The portrayal of Blake Griffin seems way off to me — someone who I never viewed as a selfish teammate or as a Sterling lapdog.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2024
One writer, whom Rhodes declined to identify, argued that a well-behaved lapdog would be less distracting than an animal whining from the backseat.
From Washington Times • Jan. 20, 2023
Holding her lapdog Daisy to her chest, Trotsak looked around at the quiet street with wonder.
From Reuters • May 4, 2022
“Follow her around like the lapdog you are.”
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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.
