basset hound

noun

bas·​set hound ˈba-sət- 

: any of an old breed of short-legged hunting dogs of French origin having very long ears and a short smooth coat

called also basset

Illustration of basset hound

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Then Pepper brought up his 65-pound basset hound. —Mandy Mclaren, The Courier-Journal, 12 Aug. 2021

The exuberant basset hound that spent most of his life so far in New York is now an island boy. —Joe Sills, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023

Fasuna is one of the 15 staff members participating in the training and certification process with her basset hound, Mollie. —Kaitlin Mikrut, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2023

So, join the gang—Skip, Donna, Moondoggie, Crisco, and Cairo the vegan basset hound—for this episode of our ongoing, if not regularly occurring, series about shopping for cars on the Internet. —John Pearley Huffman, Car and Driver, 3 Feb. 2023

The gigantic bivalved arthropod Balhuticaris voltae—distantly similar to today’s crustaceans—has a unique outer shell-body, or carapace, that drapes over its front like the floppy ears of a basset hound. —Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 18 July 2022

The film’s Oscar-winning makeup puts puffy cheeks on Chastain’s long face, which gives her the look of a mascaraed basset hound, weirdly accentuated by ’80s fashions — exercise togs, glittery headbands, big-shouldered Dynasty dresses, and fur coats. —Armond White, National Review, 1 Apr. 2022

Team Ruff was led by French bulldog Moby, and Team Fluff was led by Dinozzo, a basset hound/Shih Tzu mix breed. —NBC News, 14 Feb. 2022

Before welcoming Pebbles, Teigen and Legend adopted Pearl, their basset hound, in late July. —Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE.com, 20 Jan. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

French basset, from Middle French, from basset short, from bas low — more at base entry 3

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

basset hound

noun

bas·​set hound ˈbas-ət- 

: any of an old French breed of short-legged long-eared hunting dogs

called also basset