puppy dog
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of puppy dog
First recorded in 1585–95
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.
“It just makes things more palatable to me to think of the duality of life through the eyes of a little puppy dog or ladybug.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
His adoring, puppy dog gaze toward the president spawned hundreds of memes.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2023
And he believes he can construct a championship team here, one that presumably will reside next door to his mansions built on pipe dreams and puppy dog kisses.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 1, 2022
Born Nils Gronberg, Einar had the face of a puppy dog, the flow of an international rap connoisseur and the chest-puffed lyrics of a hardened gang member.
From New York Times ● Jan. 7, 2022
Whatever the reason, Mike’s puppy dog behavior and Eric’s apparent rivalry with him were disconcerting.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
