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
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.
Imagine a baby Brachiosaurus no bigger than a golden retriever searching for plants alongside its siblings while trying to avoid predators eager for an easy meal.
From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2026
Unlike Little Bit, a terrific retriever, Doc failed at hunting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
Poppy, a golden retriever, will be honoured as a "CPR hero" in London on Tuesday.
From BBC • Nov. 25, 2025
“Will I ever have a golden retriever like Brandon from ‘Punky Brewster?'”
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025
He’s leading a golden retriever on a tattered leash while his parents follow behind.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
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.
