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Mutt can now be used with either affection or disdain to refer to a dog that is not purebred, but in the word's early history, in the U.S. around the turn of the 20th century, it could also be used to describe a person—and not kindly: mutt was another word for "fool." The word's history lies in another insult. It comes from muttonhead, another Americanism that also means essentially "fool." Muttonhead had been around since the early 19th century but it was not unlike an older insult with the same meaning: people had been calling one another "sheep's heads" since the mid-16th century.
Examples of mutt in a Sentence
Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
The cuddly canines and spirited mutts making up Team Fluff and Team Ruff will battle for the coveted Lombarky Trophy, while also playing up for the cameras in hopes of finding their forever home.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Feb. 2026
The ordeal generated local headlines, as Berman had to navigate sheer rocks and treacherous terrain in the dark to save the mutt.
—Joe Berman, Outside, 26 Dec. 2025
Having co-created the eponymous pooch, writer Bob Baker retained some of the rights to the character, but crucially not to the design or his connections to a certain Time Lord — hence the extensive makeover and the lack of references to the metal mutt's adventures in space and time.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mutt
Cite this Entry
“Mutt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutt. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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