Illustration of Labrador retriever
Labrador retriever
noun
Lab·ra·dor retriever
ˈla-brə-ˌdȯr- 
: any of a breed of medium-sized strongly built retrievers largely developed in England from stock originating in Newfoundland and having a short dense black, yellow, or chocolate coat and a thick rounded tail
called also Lab, Labrador
Examples of Labrador retriever in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Other breeds among the gifted dogs that participated in the study were a German shepherd, a Labrador retriever, a miniature Australian shepherd, a Blue Heeler and Australian Shepherd mix.
—
Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Zuma, a 5-year-old Labrador retriever who’s an aquatic rescue pup.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Labrador Retriever The Labrador retriever, had a 31-year run as the most popular breed, according to the AKC's annual list.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
The black Labrador retriever-mix probably just wanted to go for a little ocean swim.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
The black Labrador retriever-mix named Sadie, initially escaped from the home where her owners were staying in San Diego during a Sunday football game, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 5 Dec. 2025
More whimsically, it's known for a friendship between a cheetah and Labrador retriever that had a social media moment.
—CBS News, 18 Nov. 2025
John Lowe and his son Hayden Lowe have been charged in connection with the deaths of a beagle and chocolate Labrador retriever, the La Porte County Sheriff's Office in Indiana announced last week.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
In 1996, co-founder Todd Graves named the company after his dog, a yellow Labrador retriever named Raising Cane (later known as Raising Cane I), who frequently spent time at the construction site.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Zuma, a 5-year-old Labrador retriever who’s an aquatic rescue pup.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Labrador Retriever The Labrador retriever, had a 31-year run as the most popular breed, according to the AKC's annual list.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
The black Labrador retriever-mix probably just wanted to go for a little ocean swim.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
The black Labrador retriever-mix named Sadie, initially escaped from the home where her owners were staying in San Diego during a Sunday football game, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 5 Dec. 2025
More whimsically, it's known for a friendship between a cheetah and Labrador retriever that had a social media moment.
—CBS News, 18 Nov. 2025
John Lowe and his son Hayden Lowe have been charged in connection with the deaths of a beagle and chocolate Labrador retriever, the La Porte County Sheriff's Office in Indiana announced last week.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
In 1996, co-founder Todd Graves named the company after his dog, a yellow Labrador retriever named Raising Cane (later known as Raising Cane I), who frequently spent time at the construction site.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Labrador retriever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Labrador%20retriever. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Labrador retriever
noun
Lab·ra·dor retriever
ˌlab-rə-ˌdȯr-
: any of a breed of strongly built retrievers having a broad head, a short dense black, yellow, or chocolate coat, and a thick rounded tail
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
