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
Humane police officers are asking for the public's help in identifying the person responsible for shooting and killing a yellow Labrador retriever and leaving the dog in a ditch in Armstrong County.
—
Garrett Behanna, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Each crossbreed comes from a poodle bred with a cavalier King Charles spaniel, cocker spaniel, or Labrador retriever.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
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
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Garrett Behanna, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Each crossbreed comes from a poodle bred with a cavalier King Charles spaniel, cocker spaniel, or Labrador retriever.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Labrador retriever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Labrador%20retriever. Accessed 30 Mar. 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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