mad-dog
Americanverb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of mad-dog
An Americanism dating back to 1985–90
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.
It was up to Marshall to take that next step, emerge as a defensive leader, build lateral and vertical quickness, and embody the mad dog that Burns said she could.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2025
Even Stokes, the mad dog that he is, is sensible enough to know he is feeling his way back, and marathon spells of 10, 15 or even more overs are beyond him just yet.
From BBC • Mar. 8, 2024
The mad dog was safely caged; whatever power he had once wielded, he became, we are told, a pathetic, demented specimen.
From The Guardian • Oct. 2, 2018
He’ll be joined by a real mad dog, retired Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as President-elect Donald Trump’s national security adviser.
From Salon • Dec. 22, 2016
Like it’s a mad dog outside, trying to get in.
From "Ninth Ward" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
