collie

1 of 2

noun

col·​lie ˈkä-lē 

: any of a breed of large dogs developed in Scotland that occur in rough-coated and smooth-coated varieties and have erect ears and a long muzzle

Illustration of collie

colly

2 of 2

verb

col·​ly ˈkä-lē 

collied; collying

transitive verb

dialectal, chiefly British

: to blacken with or as if with soot

Examples of collie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The black-and-white collie was awarded a silver medal for his ingenuity, while his native England went a step further, winning the World Cup a few weeks later. — Jonathan Thompson, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026

Thankfully, the trophy (then the Jules Rimet trophy) was discovered wrapped in newspaper under a hedge in Upper Norwood, south London by a black-and-white collie named Pickles. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 3 June 2026

The border collie not only knows how to herd sheep, but also which sheep to herd with patience and which sheep need a bit more sharpness. — Aditya Simha, The Conversation, 7 May 2026

Previously, an English bull terrier Border collie mix was melting hearts on social media. — Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably from English dialect colly black

Verb

alteration of Middle English colwen, from Old English *colgian, from Old English col coal

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1651, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1600, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing collie

• bearded collie
• border collie

Rhymes for collie

• akali
• bengali
• diwali
• loblolly
• naphtali
• nepali
• secale
• somali
• colley
• dolly
• folly
• golly

Kids Definition

collie

noun

col·​lie ˈkäl-ē 

: any of a breed of large dogs developed in Scotland for herding sheep