puppy
Americannoun
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a young dog, especially one less than a year old.
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Fox Hunting. a foxhound that has hunted regularly for less than one season.
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pup.
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a presuming, conceited, or empty-headed young man.
noun
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a young dog; pup
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informal a brash or conceited young man; pup
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of puppy
First recorded in 1480–90; earlier popi; see origin at puppet, -y 2
Explanation
A puppy is a baby dog. Unless you're more of a cat person, there's nothing cuter than puppies playing together. When a dog is born, it's a puppy. Puppies, like most mammals, start out very small and quickly grow larger — in fact, some puppies' coats change color as they mature, resulting in a fully grown dog that looks completely different. In the fifteenth century, a puppy was specifically "a woman's small pet dog," from the Middle French poupée, "doll or toy."
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.
Of course, there was also Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, standing nearby bouncing up and down like a puppy happy to be on stage with his master.
From Salon • Jun. 19, 2026
The Belgian malinois are part of a police puppy development scheme, based in Balsall Common.
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026
"Potentially the increase in behavioural problems is linked to the pandemic puppy surge," said Surrey-based dog trainer Antonia Mitchell.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
When Percy was a puppy, he ate mulch.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
“You ever want to leave there, I have a job for you here. I will treat you with dignity, like a witch and not just a puppy dog to follow me around.”
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
