whippet

[ whip-it, wip- ]

/ ˈwhɪp ɪt, ˈwɪp- /

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noun

one of a breed of small, swift dogs resembling a greyhound, used for hunting rabbits and for racing.

Also called whippet tank . a fast, light tank used by the British in World War I.

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Origin of whippet

First recorded in 1490–1500; perhaps alteration of phrase whip it move briskly

Words nearby whippet

whiplash, whiplash injury, whipped, whipper-in, whippersnapper, whippet, whipping, whipping boy, whipping cream, whipping post, Whipple

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use whippet in a sentence

And she cared for him, along with a whippet named Jason, until she died at age 74 in 1995.
The World’s 12 Richest Dogs|The Daily Beast|June 18, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Now the score is settled, the Big Dog can finally accept that the whippet is the winner.
Big Dog and the Whippet|Tina Brown|November 3, 2008|DAILY BEAST
A whippet tank crunched over the wreck and covered the group with its multiple pom-poms.
The Velvet Glove|Harry Harrison
I was dropping asleep when a rabbit rushed under the blanket, all of a shiver, and a whippet dog after it.
The White Peacock|D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

She was a sea whippet, and prior to the war her bowsprit had nosed into all the famed harbours of the seven seas.
The Pagan Madonna|Harold MacGrath
He scribbled a note on the back of a sales slip and left it at Miss Whippet's post by the stocking counter.
Where the Blue Begins|Christopher Morley
Little Miss Whippet, although she was fast at typewriting, was hard put to it to keep up with his correspondence.
Where the Blue Begins|Christopher Morley

British Dictionary definitions for whippet

whippet

/ (ˈwɪpɪt) /

noun

a small slender breed of dog similar to a greyhound in appearance

Word Origin for whippet

C16: of uncertain origin; perhaps based on the phrase whip it! move quickly!

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