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watchdog

American  
[woch-dawg, -dog] / ˈwɒtʃˌdɔg, -ˌdɒg /

noun

  1. a dog kept to guard property.

  2. a watchful guardian.

    a self-appointed watchdog of the public morals.

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a watchdog.

  2. organized or functioning as a watchful guardian, especially against illegal or unethical conduct.

    a watchdog group in the legislature.

verb (used with object)

watchdogged, watchdogging

  1. to watch carefully, especially so as to detect illegal or unethical conduct.

watchdog British  
/ ˈwɒtʃˌdɒɡ /

noun

  1. a dog kept to guard property

    1. a person or group of persons that acts as a protector or guardian against inefficiency, illegal practices, etc

    2. ( as modifier )

      a watchdog committee
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of watchdog

First recorded in 1600–10; watch + dog

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.

ProPublica reviewed an audio recording of the event obtained by the nonpartisan watchdog group Documented.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026

In the third week of the war, Rafael Grossi, the head of the global nuclear watchdog the IAEA, told me there could ultimately be no military solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

A new report from the federal government’s top healthcare watchdog raises new fears about what is happening to residents in many U.S. nursing homes once the visitors have left.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

The chief of the UN nuclear watchdog said attacks near Iran's Bushehr atomic power plant "pose a very real danger to nuclear safety and must stop".

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

But I didn’t relish the idea of spending my life as their watchdog.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

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.