lurcher

[ lur-cher ]

/ ˈlɜr tʃər /

noun

a crossbred dog used especially by poachers.

Archaic. a person who lurks or prowls, as a thief or poacher.

QUIZZES

How Hip Is Your Lingo? Take Our Slang Quiz!

If you aren’t already skilled in slang, then this quiz can get you up to speed in no time!

Question 1 of 11

OK Boomer can be perceived as pejorative, but it is mostly considered to be _____

a slang word for astronauts that originated in the 1950s.

a comment toward the Baby Boomer generation that is humorous or ironic in usage.

an obsolete slang term about people who speak loudly.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of lurcher

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at lurch³, -er¹

Words nearby lurcher

lupus tumidus, lupus vulgaris, lur, luray, lurch, lurcher, lurdan, lure, lurex, lurgy, luria

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for lurcher

Finlay gave chase, accompanied by a cross-bred dog, a sort of lurcher, which followed on the track of Neil.
Gairloch In North-West Ross-Shire|John H. Dixon, F.S.A. Scot
He had the look of a lurcher, and was, of course, a mongrel.
Blanco y Colorado|William C. Tetley
Any cross-bred dog, in whom the Greyhound blood predominates, may be designated as a Lurcher, and can be trained as such.
Sporting Dogs|Frank Townend Barton
Many shepherds dogs now have a cross of the lurcher in their strain, and are good at poaching.
The Gamekeeper at Home|Richard Jefferies

John Fullarton, over the hill, has a lurcher dog which is as good as a bloodhound.
The Mystery of Cloomber|Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for lurcher

lurcher

/ (ˈlɜːtʃə) /

noun

a crossbred hunting dog, usually a greyhound cross with a collie, esp one trained to hunt silently

archaic a person who prowls or lurks

Word Origin for lurcher

C16: from lurch ³

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