dogfighter

noun

dog·​fight·​er ˈdȯg-ˌfī-tər How to pronounce dogfighter (audio)
plural dogfighters
1
: a person who trains dogs for fighting or is otherwise involved in arranging or promoting dogfights
Stuck in the ground between two buildings was a metal shaft with a tethering arm, designed to keep a dog walking in a circle. Like the treadmill, this setup can be used as part of what dogfighters call the "keep," the training regimen before a fight.George Dohrmann, Sports Illustrated, 4 June 2007
2
: a military aircraft designed for or engaged in aerial dogfighting
What the Air Force really needs, then, is not a fancy dogfighter like the F-22 but a stealthy workhorse aircraft to go after thousands of individual mobile ground targets.Michael O'Hanlon, Wall Street Journal, 2 Aug. 1999

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dogfighter was in 1826

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Cite this Entry

“Dogfighter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogfighter. Accessed 12 Dec. 2025.

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