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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
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
Jodi Picoult writes about a beloved mutt named Alvin; Roxane Gay, about a Maltipoo named Max; Elizabeth Strout, about a water-loving Lab named Ethan.
—Air Mail, 14 Mar. 2026
With this selection, readers can have an experience similar to readers in Japan in encountering this fresh new voice, inflected with Kanako’s distinctively Osakan warmth and wit (the adorable Shiba Inu mutt at the center of the story certainly may be part of the appeal too).
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
The 22nd annual Puppy Bowl featured puppies on Team Ruff and Team Fluff competing in a mutt-size football stadium for the Wayfair Lombarky Trophy.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mutt
Cite this Entry
“Mutt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutt. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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