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mastiff

American

[mas-tif, mah-stif] / ˈmæs tɪf, ˈmɑ stɪf /

noun

one of a breed of large, powerful, short-haired dogs having an apricot, fawn, or brindled coat.

mastiff British

/ ˈmæstɪf /

noun

an old breed of large powerful short-haired dog, usually fawn or brindle with a dark mask

"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 mastiff

1300–50; Middle English mastif, perhaps extracted from Anglo-French masti ( n ) s (taken as *mastifs ), plural of Old French mastin < Vulgar Latin ( canis ) *ma ( n ) suētīnus, derivative of Latin mansuētus tame, mild ( see mansuetude)

Compare meaning

How does mastiff compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

mastiff vs. bullmastiff

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:

mastiff

Kaya, his enormous Tibetan mastiff, joins us on the couch.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

Some large guardian dogs showed high wolf ancestry, while others, including the Neapolitan mastiff, bullmastiff, and St. Bernard, showed none.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 29, 2025

They joked about sending their mastiff to the door next time.

From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2025

The runner-up was Viking, a Tibetan mastiff from Romania.

From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2025

“So. You bite like a mastiff and never let go. Just like your father, then.”

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023