Illustration of Labrador retriever
Labrador retriever
noun
Lab·ra·dor retriever
ˈla-brə-ˌdȯr- 
: any of a breed of medium-sized strongly built retrievers largely developed in England from stock originating in Newfoundland and having a short dense black, yellow, or chocolate coat and a thick rounded tail
called also Lab, Labrador
Examples of Labrador retriever in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Larry has cohabited, sometimes uneasily, with prime ministerial pets including Boris Johnson’s Jack Russell cross Dilyn and Rishi Sunak’s Labrador retriever Nova.
—
Jill Lawless, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
German shepherds typically have the shortest wait time, golden retrievers have the longest and Labrador retrievers and Labrador/golden retrievers are in-between.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Zeus has a new live-in buddy, a young Labrador retriever named Cooper.
—Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 29 Jan. 2026
Fin, a golden retriever and Labrador retriever mix, is the pet of Domenic Biagini, the owner-operator of Gone Whale Watching San Diego, a small boat whale watching tour agency.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Other breeds among the gifted dogs that participated in the study were a German shepherd, a Labrador retriever, a miniature Australian shepherd, a Blue Heeler and Australian Shepherd mix.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Zuma, a 5-year-old Labrador retriever who’s an aquatic rescue pup.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Labrador Retriever The Labrador retriever, had a 31-year run as the most popular breed, according to the AKC's annual list.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
The black Labrador retriever-mix probably just wanted to go for a little ocean swim.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
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Jill Lawless, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
German shepherds typically have the shortest wait time, golden retrievers have the longest and Labrador retrievers and Labrador/golden retrievers are in-between.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Zeus has a new live-in buddy, a young Labrador retriever named Cooper.
—Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 29 Jan. 2026
Fin, a golden retriever and Labrador retriever mix, is the pet of Domenic Biagini, the owner-operator of Gone Whale Watching San Diego, a small boat whale watching tour agency.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Other breeds among the gifted dogs that participated in the study were a German shepherd, a Labrador retriever, a miniature Australian shepherd, a Blue Heeler and Australian Shepherd mix.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Zuma, a 5-year-old Labrador retriever who’s an aquatic rescue pup.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Labrador Retriever The Labrador retriever, had a 31-year run as the most popular breed, according to the AKC's annual list.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
The black Labrador retriever-mix probably just wanted to go for a little ocean swim.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Labrador retriever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Labrador%20retriever. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Labrador retriever
noun
Lab·ra·dor retriever
ˌlab-rə-ˌdȯr-
: any of a breed of strongly built retrievers having a broad head, a short dense black, yellow, or chocolate coat, and a thick rounded tail
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