pup

American  

[puhp] / pʌp /

noun

1. a young dog; puppy.

2. the young of certain other animals, as the rat, shark, or fur seal.

3. a small plant developing as an offshoot from a mature plant.

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verb (used without object)

pupped, pupping

1. to give birth to pups.

pup British  

/ pʌp /

noun

1. 1. a young dog, esp when under one year of age; puppy

   2. the young of various other animals, such as the seal

2. (of a bitch) pregnant

3. informal a conceited young man (esp in the phrase young pup )

4. to swindle someone by selling him something worthless

5. slang it's early yet

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verb

1. (of dogs, seals, etc) to give birth to (young)

Etymology

Origin of pup

First recorded in 1580–90; shortened variant of puppy

Example Sentences

At a South African rescue centre, a pangolin pup rests wrapped in a blanket.

From BBC

As a pup, the four-legged hero's boundless energy made it tough to stay indoors, but he found his true potential in the bush.

From Barron's

He added: "These pups are growing incredibly fast and are already showing the same high-energy, inquisitive traits as their parents."

From BBC

And he said the percentage of animals that have died in the Año Nuevo rookery is relatively small: Only about 5% of weaned pups and 6% of adult males have died.

From Los Angeles Times

He trained many pups and, finally, he retired and stopped pulling.

From Literature

Related Words

• baby
• brood
• child
• cub
• daughter
• descendant
• generation
• heir
• kid
• progeny
• son