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prairie dog

American  

noun

prairie dogs plural
  1. any of several burrowing rodents of the genus Cynomys, of North American prairies, having a barklike cry: some are endangered.


prairie dog British  

noun

  1. Also called: prairie marmot.  any of several gregarious sciurine rodents of the genus Cynomys, such as C. ludovicianus, that live in large complex burrows in the prairies of North America

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of prairie dog

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75

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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.

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During Golden Gophers home games, the school projected the prairie dog from the popular dramatic chipmunk GIF onto its video board to try to distract opposing kickers during field goal attempts.

From Washington Post Jan. 9, 2023

On a recent clear night, the Nakoda sacred site Snake Butte looming on the horizon, Main shined a flashlight into a long, skinny, wire trap atop a prairie dog burrow.

From Seattle Times Dec. 8, 2022

Starting with a 3-year-old Wisconsin girl bitten by her pet prairie dog, all 72 suspected or confirmed cases had contact with those animals.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 19, 2022

It is both the elephant in the room and the prairie dog; the outfitter not just of entire teams but almost entire leagues — and the lone runner in the wilderness.

From New York Times Jun. 15, 2022

Last week he’d made an elaborate trap to catch a prairie dog.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

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