dingo

noun din·go \ ˈdiŋ-(ˌ)gō \

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

Definition of dingo

plural dingoes

: a wild dog (Canis dingo) of Australia having a tan or reddish coat that is often considered a subspecies (C. familiaris dingo) of the domestic dog

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Recent Examples of dingo from the Web

Here in Australia, families with kids regularly camp in the bush where there are feral pigs, dingoes and several species of snakes more venomous than a rattlesnake.

— Scientific American, "Readers Respond to the December 2017 Issue," 1 Dec. 2017
While controlling those predators, like in Booderee, can help, some researchers believe the more sustainable solution is to allow top predators, like the dingo, to take care of the foxes and cats.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "The Super-cute Eastern Quoll Returns to Mainland Australia," 16 Mar. 2018
Thus, the government spent millions to make the fence bigger and protect the precious fertile land against dingoes.

— sophie weiner, Popular Mechanics, "Why Australia Built the Longest Fence in the World," 6 Jan. 2018
Researchers at the University of New South Wales wanted to find out if limiting the number of dingoes on one side of the Dog Fence has created such changes in the area’s landscape.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Is Australia’s Dingo-Proof Fence Changing the Ecosystem of the Outback?," 15 May 2017
Purebred dingoes are rare because of widespread interbreeding with domestic dogs.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Dingo Wins Competition for World’s Most Interesting Genome," 17 Apr. 2017
Roughly 2,000 years ago, the thylacine was likely driven to extinction on Australia's mainland by indigenous human hunting and competition from dingoes (wild dogs).

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "How Scientists Reconstructed the Brain of a Long-Extinct Beast," 19 Jan. 2017
Most of India’s street dogs are about two feet tall, short-haired, curly-tailed, trim but not scrawny, and descended from an ancient breed related to the Australian dingo.

— jeffrey gettleman, New York Times, "Stray Dogs Started Turning Blue. Then the Street Mobilized.," 27 Sep. 2017
But on the opposite side, there was just one dingo with some 3,200 kangaroos happily hopping about, unchecked by pesky predators.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Is Australia’s Dingo-Proof Fence Changing the Ecosystem of the Outback?," 15 May 2017

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

Did You Know?

An Australian wild dog, the dingo was apparently introduced from Asia 5,000–8,000 years ago. It has short, soft fur, a bushy tail, and erect, pointed ears. It is about 4 ft (1.2 m) long, including the 12-in (30-cm) tail, and stands about 24 in (60 cm) high. Its color varies between yellowish and reddish brown, often with white underparts, feet, and tail tip. Dingoes hunt alone or in small groups. They formerly preyed on kangaroos, but now feed mainly on rabbits and sometimes on livestock. Through competition for resources, they contributed to the extermination of the Tasmanian wolf and Tasmanian devil on the Australian mainland.