canine

noun

ca·nine | \ ˈkā-ˌnīn,

British also ˈka-\

Definition of canine

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 [ Middle English, from Latin (dens) caninus canine tooth ] : a conical pointed tooth especially : one situated between the lateral incisor and the first premolar — see tooth illustration

2 : dog sense 1a broadly : canid

canine

adjective

Definition of canine (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : of or resembling that of a dog canine loyalty

2 : of or relating to dogs or to the family (Canidae) including the canids canine diseases

Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about canine

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Synonyms for canine

Synonyms: Noun

dog, doggy (or doggie), hound, pooch, tyke (also tike)

Did You Know?

Dogs are prized for their talents and intelligence but aren't always given credit for their independence. Instead, tales of canine devotion and attachment are legendary; the old Lassie and Rin-Tin-Tin television series featured at least one heroic act of devotion per show. So we often hear people described as having "doglike devotion" or "doglike loyalty". But canine itself, unlike doglike, usually refers to four-legged creatures. Canine is not only an adjective but also a noun. Dogs and their relatives in the Canidae family—the wolves, jackals, foxes, and coyotes—are often called canines. And so are those two slightly pointed teeth a bit to the right and left of your front teeth.

Examples of canine in a Sentence

Noun

in the minds of some, the winner of this prestigious dog show has a fair claim to the title of King of the Canines

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Veterinarians in Virginia are warning pet owners to be on the lookout for a mysterious disease — similar to whooping cough — spreading among canines in the Charlottesville area. — Madeline Farber, Fox News, "Mysterious dog disease hits Virginia city: 'There's an epidemic underway'," 9 Aug. 2018 Muttnik: Bruce Ryan Costella wrote and performs this one-man, or one-dog, show about the first canine in space – sent into orbit by the Soviet Union in the 1950s. — Matthew J. Palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "4 Orlando Fringe shows get encore performances," 30 May 2018 Full disclosure: This critic is a dog person, which makes him especially susceptible to a handcrafted stop-motion fable about cast-off canines in a grim day-after-tomorrow Japan. — Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, "Canines (and kids) to the rescue in ‘Isle of Dogs’," 26 Mar. 2018 Poisonings and unregulated hunting obliterated nearly all of these majestic canines from Canada to Mexico, their original home range. — Anchorage Daily News, "‘Rewilding’ missing carnivores may help restore some landscapes," 17 Mar. 2018 Poisonings and unregulated hunting obliterated nearly all of these majestic canines from Canada to Mexico, their original home range. — Joanna Klein, New York Times, "‘Rewilding’ Missing Carnivores May Help Restore Some Landscapes," 16 Mar. 2018 These canines have been spotted at airports across the country, including Minneapolis-St. — Kelsey Kloss, ELLE Decor, "6 Travel Tips For Getting Through An Airport Quickly And Sanely," 1 July 2016 Would-be shoppers got only images of cute canines delivering an apologetic message. — Morning Brief, The Seattle Times, "Aberdeen museum recovers history from a fire, and Seattle is opening more tiny-house villages | Tuesday Morning Brief, July 17," 17 July 2018 The only surviving legacy appears to be a cancer that arose from the cells of a dog that lived more than 8,000 years ago and has since spread to other canines throughout the world, an international team reported Thursday in the journal Science. — Emiliano Rodriguez Mega, BostonGlobe.com, "Study: Ancient North American dogs were nearly wiped out after arrival of European breeds," 5 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Here, Buddy, his friend and the family canine head into the woods to find a Christmas tree: Morning. — Danny Heitman, WSJ, "An Ode to Holiday Companionship," 21 Dec. 2018 Etsy shop Sacred Forests will whip up a personalized watercolor painting of either feline or canine companions. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "What Do I Want for Christmas? Take This Quiz to Find Out the Answer," 30 Nov. 2018 Lake County Deputy Sheriff James Simmons and his canine partner, Eyk, followed Winters into the pond. — Dan Wine, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Man hid in Tavares pond, tried to drown police dog during arrest, authorities say," 22 June 2018 Pasco K9 Deputy Patrick Bingham and his canine partner Benco located the gun in a wooded area, the news site reported. — Fox News, "Detective's gun found after he left it in Burger King bathroom, suspect arrested," 10 June 2018 Westerville police officer Eric Joering's canine partner, Sam, is going home to live with the fallen officer's family, a small comfort for the three young girls who lost their father Saturday. — Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati.com, "Westerville shooting: Police dog to stay with family of slain police officer," 13 Feb. 2018 To find and identify the dead as quickly as possible, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea has called in nearly 200 search personnel, along with canine teams trained to find human remains. — Erin Ailworth, WSJ, "After Paradise Fire, a Hunt for Human Remains Among the Ashes," 16 Nov. 2018 According to AWF’s latest figures, of the 27 poaching busts made in Tanzania in the past 12 months, 22 have been attributed to canine teams turning criminals over to the Tanzanian Wildlife Authority. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "It’s Pooches vs. Poachers in the Fight Against Wildlife Smugglers," 22 June 2018 In 2016, the department added canine teams and created a bus amnesty program, which allows visitors taking the Q100 bus to Rikers to leave weapons or drugs behind with no penalty. — Jan Ransom, New York Times, "Women Describe Invasive Strip Searches on Visits to City Jails," 26 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'canine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.