pup

1 of 2

noun

1
: a young dog
also : one of the young of various animals (such as a seal or rat)
2

pup

2 of 2

verb

pupped; pupping

intransitive verb

: to give birth to pups

Examples of pup in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Plus, any animal lover will be hard-pressed not to shed a tear or two upon seeing an imperiled pup come to be lovingly embraced. Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 However, the famous pup did win the Palm Dog Award at the Cannes Film Festival last May. Victoria Edel, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 With a smile that can light up the cosmos, the almost 90-pound pup is a gentle soul who leans into petting and never says no to a little snack. The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 Jon Stewart's tearful farewell to his dog, Dipper, on The Daily Show Monday quickly had the New York City animal shelter the pup came from inundated with donations. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2024 Consumers could buy athleisure apparel infused with CBD oil and feed their nervous pups CBD chews and snacks. Julie Creswell, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 The 20th anniversary show will feature the all-time smallest pup, Sweetpea − a 1.7-pound Cavapoo − and the biggest, Levi − a 72-pound Great Dane. Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024 Strikingly, these mice did much better than pups who were treated shortly after birth. Megan Molteni, STAT, 21 Feb. 2024 The curtain was pulled back, and the Tonight Show audience cooed and clapped as the curly brown pup raced out from backstage, skipping over Brown entirely and making a beeline for the audience. Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
While otters are active in the Morro Bay area year-round, the peak period of pupping is October through January with a secondary peak in March and April. Jerry Rice, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 The otters are active year-round, but when planning your trip be aware that the main pupping season happens October through January with a secondary spike in March and April. Jerry Rice, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 The following spring, in April 2022, the coastal commission implemented an annual seasonal closure from May 1 to October 31 during sea lion pupping season. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Sep. 2023 The Children’s Pool, a small beach partially protected by a seawall, has been closing yearly for harbor seal pupping season from Dec. 15 through May 15 since 2014. Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2023 Incidents were equally common during the spring pupping season and in summer, researchers said. Vanessa Arredondo, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023 To prove her point, Romano introduces Alvin and Louie to three dogs of various ages and sizes to see which pup the pair bonds with most. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 22 Aug. 2022 The ones who just died can continue to pup up in flashbacks that might be relevant for portions of the story. Chris Smith, BGR, 9 Nov. 2021 This tip is especially important between February and July because that is pupping season, a time of year when coyotes are more territorial. Houston Chronicle, 26 Feb. 2020

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

short for puppy

First Known Use

Noun

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1708, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pup was in 1542

Dictionary Entries Near pup

Cite this Entry

“Pup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pup. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pup

noun
ˈpəp
: puppy
also : one of the young of various animals (as a seal or rat)

More from Merriam-Webster on pup

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