dogsled

noun

dog·​sled ˈdȯg-ˌsled How to pronounce dogsled (audio)
: a sled drawn by dogs
dogsled intransitive verb
dogsledder noun

Did you know?

The sport of racing sleds pulled by dogs over snow-covered cross-country courses, dogsled racing, developed from a traditional Eskimo method of transportation. Modern sleds are usually of wood (ash) construction, with leather lashings and steel- or aluminum-covered runners. The dogs used for pulling the sleds are most often Eskimo dogs, Siberian huskies, Samoyeds, or Alaskan malamutes; teams typically consist of 4–10 dogs. The course is usually 12–30 miles (19–48 km) long, though some, including the Iditarod, an annual dogsled race held in Alaska, are considerably longer.

Examples of dogsled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The event is named after the Iditarod Trail, an old mail and supply route, traveled by dogsleds from Seward and Knik to Nome. Ben Church, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Guests can visit the town and discover village customs such as hunting by dogsled on the ice floes, or learn some of the Inuktitut language. Scott Laird, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Nov. 2023 This long-standing tradition includes a broomball tournament, dogsled and Nordic races, and a ceremonial Burning of the Greens. Outside Online, 13 Mar. 2023 In January 1925 an outbreak of diphtheria (a serious bacterial infection that can be deadly if untreated, especially for children) was spreading in Nome, Alaska—a town that could only be reached by dogsled during the winter. Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 27 Apr. 2023 Ferreira, who is on board with his wife, Suzette, is a veteran of early-explorer-style high-Arctic journeys, months long treks involving dogsleds and real toil and suffering. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2023 Driving a dogsled across a frozen lake at 35 miles an hour was truly enjoyable for me. Laura Manske, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2023 In Alaska, letter carriers rode on dogsleds until the 1960s; even now, mail is dropped into some towns by parachute. National Geographic, 18 May 2020 Visitors from surrounding villages and other places can only reach Nome by plane, boat and, sometimes, snowmachines or dogsleds. Victoria McKenzie, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dogsled.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1706, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dogsled was in 1706

Dictionary Entries Near dogsled

Cite this Entry

“Dogsled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogsled. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dogsled

noun
dog·​sled ˈdȯg-ˌsled How to pronounce dogsled (audio)
: a sled drawn by dogs
dogsled verb

More from Merriam-Webster on dogsled

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!