whelp

1 of 2

noun

1
: any of the young of various carnivorous mammals and especially of the dog
2
: a young boy or girl

whelp

2 of 2

verb

whelped; whelping; whelps

transitive verb

: to give birth to
used of various carnivores and especially the dog

intransitive verb

: to bring forth young

Examples of whelp in a Sentence

Noun playtime's over, it's time to gather up the whelps and head home Verb The dog whelped in March.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Given its importance as one of two Northwest Atlantic harp seal whelping grounds, the area is one of Nat Geo’s Best Trips for 2020. Jennifer Hayes, National Geographic, 19 Dec. 2019 And from Susan’s line, the queen’s breeding program at the Kennels of Windsor whelped hundreds of corgi puppies. William Booth, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2018 From the queen's breeding program at the Kennels of Windsor, hundreds of royal corgis have been whelped. William Booth, chicagotribune.com, 18 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whelp.' 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

Middle English, from Old English hwelp; akin to Old High German hwelf whelp

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of whelp was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near whelp

Cite this Entry

“Whelp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whelp. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

whelp

1 of 2 noun
ˈhwelp How to pronounce whelp (audio)
ˈwelp
1
: one of the young of a flesh-eating animal and especially a dog
2
: a young person

whelp

2 of 2 verb
: to give birth to whelps

Medical Definition

whelp

1 of 2 noun
: one of the young of various carnivorous mammals and especially of the dog

whelp

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to give birth to
used of various carnivores and especially the dog

intransitive verb

: to bring forth young

More from Merriam-Webster on whelp

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