retriever

[ri-tree-ver]

noun

1. a person or thing that retrieves.

2. one of any of several breeds of dogs having a coarse, thick, oily coat, trained to retrieve game.

3. any dog trained to retrieve game.

retriever

/ rɪˈtriːvə /

noun

1. 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

2. any dog used to retrieve shot game

3. a person or thing that retrieves

Word History and Origins

Origin of retriever¹

First recorded in 1480–90; retrieve + -er ¹

Example Sentences

As a superficial snob who grew up with golden retrievers that deserved Pantene commercials, I had to know: Why are we so into ugly dogs now?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Poppy, a golden retriever, will be honoured as a "CPR hero" in London on Tuesday.

Read more on BBC

Political systems that resemble one another in their fundamental structure and function are like species in the animal kingdom: A chihuahua is not a golden retriever, but they are both dogs.

Read more on Salon

This golden retriever optimism has rolled into his first leading role in “Love Hurts,” in which Quan plays a peppy realtor who bakes heart-shaped cookies for his colleagues.

Read more on Salon

When Keaton finished the home renovation, having been first introduced to Pinterest by her longtime collaborator, director Nancy Meyers, she moved in with her children and the family’s golden retriever, Emma.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• beagle