noun
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one of a breed of large gun dogs that can be trained to retrieve game See golden retriever Labrador retriever Chesapeake Bay retriever curly-coated retriever flat-coated retriever
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any dog used to retrieve shot game
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a person or thing that retrieves
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of retriever
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How does retriever compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If your dog brings back anything you throw for her, she's a retriever. Many retrievers are bred to work alongside hunters, fetching game birds. Even if your pup looks more like a mop than a Labrador retriever, you can still describe him as a retriever if he's intent on recovering every tennis ball you hurl across your yard. A retriever is a person or animal that retrieves things, or brings them back. So, strictly speaking, you're a retriever too, if you grab the runaway balls during your friends' tennis match! Retriever derives from the French verb trouver, "to find."
Vocabulary lists containing retriever
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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.
See Examples For:
The opposite of a guard dog: Golden retriever begs to play with intruder in San Diego break-in.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
The couple adopted a black Labrador retriever several years ago, which is seen several times in the clip.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
While I’d sooner take life advice from my golden retriever than a chatbot, my parents aligned with their contemporaries in treating Claude as a Google substitute.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Thirteen of the 14 dogs seized by the Newport Beach Beach Animal Control were puppies, including two 6-week-old golden retriever puppies that were in critical condition because of untreated parasites.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Nancy's Labrador retriever puppy, Chocolate Chip, jumped after her.
From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene
A mass gathering of golden retrievers and their owners is to return to the ancestral home of the breed in July 2028.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
The cost of food, fish oil and veterinary care for her two golden retrievers, Chloe and Dr. Bogart Jones, keeps rising.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
Researchers also identified another genetic variant that appears in golden retrievers that are fearful of other dogs.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 2026
Not done waxing poetic about the eyes on the veritable Redford of retrievers, Leonberg also pointed out another benefit of his dog’s particular coloration.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2025
I can picture all of this: three generations of laughing Theos, downing mugs of coffee and biscuits, storming out garrulously into the dawn, wearing wool hunting hats and surrounded by baleful golden retrievers.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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