Shiba Inu

noun

Shi·​ba Inu ˈshē-bä-ˈē-nü 

: any of a breed of small thick-coated agile dogs developed in Japan

Examples of Shiba Inu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are also close to a thousand kinds of wine, mostly from Italy and France, and a resident Shiba Inu, who spends most nights perched on the bar. — Alex Halberstadt, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Apr. 2025

Fittingly, Adidas chose a Shiba Inu to represent Japan. — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 3 May 2026

Fans of the guessing game have offered thousands of theories, with guesses from Akita to Shiba Inu and various mixes. — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026

Investors—from Wall Street mainstay institutions to the Elon fanboys who trade Shiba Inu meme coins in their basements—will clamor to purchase shares in SpaceX on the public markets. — Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Japanese shiba-inu, from shiba brushwood + inu dog

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above