miniature schnauzer

American  

noun

1. one of a German breed of sturdily built terriers resembling a smaller version of the standard schnauzer, having a wiry, pepper-and-salt, black, or black-and-silver coat, a rectangular head, bushy whiskers, and a docked tail, and originally developed as a farm dog but now raised primarily as a pet.

---

Etymology

Origin of miniature schnauzer

First recorded in 1925–30

Compare meaning

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

• giant schnauzer vs. miniature schnauzer
• standard schnauzer vs. miniature schnauzer

Example Sentences

Lydia, who was in the same category with their 11-year-old miniature schnauzer Hope, did not receive a placing.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

In 2020, photographer Caitlin O’Hara snapped linguist Rachid Baligh of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Marrakesh, Morocco, with his family, his 2015 Ural cT motorcycle, and his miniature schnauzer, Lola, in the Arizona desert.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

Monty Hobbs, the managing director of a digital marketing agency in Washington, can often be found at local restaurant patios with Mattox, his 5-year-old terrier and miniature schnauzer mix.

From Seattle Times • May 15, 2023

“I find that people if they retire after 65 or if they retire after 70, they just lose something in them,” said Strachan, who is single and lives with a miniature schnauzer named DJ.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2022

And in 2014, a man and his miniature schnauzer stumbled upon a whole school of frozen pollock along the surface of a bay in Norway.

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2017