dog

1 of 4

noun

ˈdȯg  ˈdäg 

plural dogs

1

a

: a carnivorous mammal (Canis familiaris) closely related to the gray wolf that has long been domesticated as a pet, occurs in a variety of sizes, colors, and coat types, and is sometimes trained to perform special tasks (such as herding, guarding, or acting as a service animal)

After 31 years of Labrador retrievers holding the title, the American Kennel Club says French bulldogs were the most popular dog in America last year.

—Scott Simon

b

: any of a family (Canidae) of carnivorous mammals that includes the wolves, jackals, foxes, coyotes, and the domestic dog : canid

c

: a male dog compare bitch entry 1 sense 1

2

informal

a

: a worthless or contemptible person

"Dog of an unbeliever," said an old man …

—Sir Walter Scott

b

: fellow, chap

you lucky dog

3

: any of various usually simple mechanical devices (such as an andiron or a detent) for holding, gripping, or fastening that consist of a spike, bar, or hook

4

: uncharacteristic or affected stylishness or dignity see also put on the dog

5

Dog astronomy : either of the constellations Canis Major or Canis Minor

6

dogs plural, slang : feet

rest his tired dogs

7

the dogs plural, informal : ruin

It's enough to drive anyone to the dogs.

see also go to the dogs

8

informal : an inferior one of its kind

The movie was a dog.

The stock is a dog. Earnings have been poor …

—Douglas A. McIntyre

Logic should dictate that a hefty sedan powered by a small four-cylinder motor should be a real dog of a thing to drive.

—Keith Didham

9

slang, often disparaging + offensive : an unattractive person

especially : an unattractive girl or woman

10

informal : hot dog sense 1

bought two dogs and a beer

doglike

ˈdȯg-ˌlīk 

adjective

a doglike animal

doglike behaviors

Illustration of dog

• 1 pastern
• 2 chest
• 3 flews
• 4 muzzle
• 5 stop
• 6 occiput
• 7 leather
• 8 crest
• 9 withers
• 10 loin
• 11 point of rump
• 12 hock or tarsus
• 13 knee or stifle
• 14 brisket
• 15 elbow
• 16 feathering

dog

2 of 4

adjective

1

: canine

dog breeders

a dog collar

2

: having an inferior or inauthentic quality : spurious

dog rhyme

especially, languages : unlike that used by native speakers or writers

dog Latin

dog French

dog

3 of 4

verb

dogged ˈdȯgd 

ˈdägd

; dogging; dogs

transitive verb

1

a

: to hunt, track, or follow (someone) like a hound

dogged her every move

b

: to be a persistent source of difficulty or distress to (someone) : plague

Rumors dogged him throughout his public life.

—Howard Chua-Eoan

—often used in the passive with by

Their star pitcher has been dogged by injuries.

The project has been dogged by controversy.

c

: to bother or pester (someone) persistently : hound

Reporters dogged her for information.

2

: to fasten (something) with a dog (see dog entry 1 sense 3)

dogged down the hatch

see also:

dog it

dog

4 of 4

adverb

informal

: extremely, utterly

dog cheap

—sometimes used in combination

In plain West Virginia-speak, the situation is dog-ugly.

—Mitch Vingle

see also dog-tired

Synonyms of dog

Noun

• puppy
• canine
• mutt
• pooch
• bitch
• pup
• doggy

Verb

• chase
• track
• pursue
• tail
• escort
• follow

Examples of dog in a Sentence

Noun

That dog barks all day long.

children playing with the family dog

wild dogs such as the Australian dingo

Her latest book turned out to be a real dog.

That was a dog of a movie.

Verb

He dogged her every move.

Creditors dogged him until he finally paid his bills.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Those funds will help animals like Violet, a 7-year-old sheep dog mix rescued from South LA's shelter; Harper, rescued from a homeless encampment; and Claurese, surrendered when her family couldn't afford her medical bills. — Joy Benedict, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

She was awakened in the middle of the night by her barking dog and the sound of a woman screaming in the street. — City News Service, Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026

Adjective

And this isn't even an anti-dog rant! — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026

Meanwhile, critics in the anti-dog camp, some of whom seemed to object to the very concept of urban dogs, argued the poop proposals did not go nearly far enough. — Rachel Sugar, Curbed, 8 Apr. 2026

Verb

Even in the first term, resistance Democrats were dogged by their populist left-wing critics. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026

Unlike other incumbents who have fallen victim to intraparty divisions this year, Mills was defeated after being dogged by a series of investigations and negative publicity. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English docga

Adjective

from attributive use of dog entry 1

Verb

derivative of dog entry 1

Adverb

derivative of dog entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

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

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1519, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1526, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dog

• a dog's breakfast
• a dog's life
• African hunting dog
• African wild dog
• American dog tick
• (as) sick as a dog
• attack dog
• Australian cattle dog
• Bernese mountain dog
• bird-dog
• brown dog tick
• Canaan dog
• cant dog
• chili dog
• coach dog
• corn dog
• dog and pony show
• dog biscuit
• dog bone
• dog collar
• dog days
• dog-ear
• dog-eared
• dog-eat-dog
• dog fennel
• dog in the manger
• dog it
• dog paddle
• dog park
• dog-pile
• dog rose
• dog's breakfast
• dog's chance
• dog tag
• dog tick
• dog-tired
• dog warden
• dog-whistle
• downward dog
• downward facing dog
• every dog has his/its day
• feed dog
• fight like cat and dog
• foo dog
• foster dog/cat/puppy/kitten
• fu dog
• guard dog
• guide dog
• hair of the dog (that bit you)
• hearing dog
• hot dog
• in a dog's age
• lap dog
• pariah dog
• police dog
• Portuguese water dog
• prairie dog
• puppy dog
• put on the dog
• pye-dog
• raccoon dog
• red dog
• running dog
• sausage dog
• sea dog
• shaggy-dog
• shaggy-dog story
• shepherd dog
• show dog
• sick as a dog
• sled dog
• sniffer dog
• sun dog
• that's a good boy/girl/dog (etc.)
• the tail wagging the dog
• top dog
• water dog
• wiener dog
• wild dog
• wolf dog
• working dog
• yellow-dog
• yellow-dog contract
• you can't teach an old dog new tricks

Rhymes for dog

• blog
• bog
• clog
• cog
• flog
• fog
• frog
• grog
• hog
• jog
• log
• og

Kids Definition

dog

1 of 2 noun

ˈdȯg 

1

a

: a domestic mammal that eats meat and is closely related to the gray wolf

b

: any animal of the family to which the dog belongs

c

: a male dog

2

a

: a worthless person

b

: person sense 1

you lucky dog

3

a

: any of various devices for holding, gripping, or fastening that consist of a spike, rod, or bar

b

: andiron

4

: a show of being stylish or rich

put on the dog

5

plural : feet

doglike

-ˌlīk 

adjective

dog

2 of 2 verb

dogged; dogging

: to hunt, track, or follow like a hound

Medical Definition

dog

noun

ˈdȯg 

often attributive

: a highly variable carnivorous domesticated mammal of the genus Canis (C. familiaris) closely related to the common wolf (Canis lupus)

broadly : any member of the family Canidae