Etymology
Origin of hound dog
An Americanism dating back to 1640–50
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.
Stacey lives in Brooklyn with her husband and hound dog.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Last summer I found a criminally cute hound dog who checked at least one of the boxes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2024
Steve is the sensible, sensitive mate who evens us out as opposed to the kicked hound dog who waits by the door for his mistress.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2023
Somebody who ain't nothin' but a hound dog has made off with an Elvis Presley bust from a Central Illinois saloon.
From Fox News ● Oct. 28, 2021
“I’ve been a librarian here for a good many years,” she said, “but this is the first time I’ve ever had a hound dog ask if he could come in my library. I’m honored.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
