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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• prairie dogs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prairie dog

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75

Compare meaning

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

• marmot vs. prairie dog

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prairie dog

Its logo is a prairie dog in a black-and-yellow nuclear symbol.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

While Castner Range is off-limits to people, it provides habitat for an array of wildlife, including the American peregrine falcon, the golden eagle, the black-tailed prairie dog and the Texas horned lizard.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 21, 2023

It had a microchip inserted beneath its skin for future tracking, before being released back into the prairie dog colony to a soft cheer from Main and Werk.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 8, 2022

Dog owners have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the concept, said Con Slobodchikoff, the founder and chief executive of Zoolingua, who spent much of his academic career studying prairie dog communication.

From New York Times ● Aug. 29, 2022

While he had successfully trapped the prairie dog, the rest of his invention wasn’t quite the success Chase imagined.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson