whippet

noun

whip·​pet ˈ(h)wi-pət How to pronounce whippet (audio)
: any of a breed of small swift slender dogs used for coursing small game and racing

Examples of whippet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The new law banning whippet crackers will take effect in mid-June — the bills were slated to take effect 90 days after they were signed into law. Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 13 Mar. 2024 And Tom Kenny's signature helium-esque voice is perfectly suited for a character that's likely had far too many whippets. Huntley Woods, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2023 Smaller, longer-nosed dogs such as Shetland sheepdogs or whippets had the longest life expectancy, with a median of 13.3 years. Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 2 Feb. 2024 The dominant breeds were border collies (19), vizslas (17), and whippets (6). Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 21 Dec. 2023 Just not the 5-9, 165-pound whippet Andre Coleman most Bolts fans remember. Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2023 The two children’s bedrooms are similarly subdued but imaginative: Kaye Rodden has pinned sheets of paper to their walls and covered them with drawings of animals, including the family dog (a longhaired Bedlington whippet named 4B, after the pencil). Carolyn Asome, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023 According to police, the 7-year-old whippet rat terrier mix had escaped from her home in Wellesley. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 15 Sep. 2023 Will looking at a photo of a whippet wearing a tiny sweater help? Amy Collier, The New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2023

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

probably from whip entry 1

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whippet was in 1610

Dictionary Entries Near whippet

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

whippet

noun
whip·​pet ˈhwip-ət How to pronounce whippet (audio)
ˈwip-
: any of a breed of small swift slender dogs that are often used for hunting small animals or racing

More from Merriam-Webster on whippet

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