pooch

1 of 2

noun

plural pooches
informal
: dog
a cute pooch
Before the abusive letters pour in …, may I state that I am very fond of dogs. Loyal, obedient, housetrained pooches are a pleasure to rub noses with.Romany Bain

pooch

2 of 2

verb

pooched; pooching; pooches

intransitive verb

chiefly dialectal
: bulge
Phrases
screw the pooch
US slang
: to botch an activity or undertaking : screw up
He's a little cocky, but he's not about to screw the pooch.Douglas M. Bailey
Such is life. Sometimes you score big, and sometimes you screw the pooch.Greg Jerrett

Examples of pooch in a Sentence

Noun What a cute little pooch! walking down the street with several pooches on leashes Verb his lower lip pooched out in disappointment
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Bastian is not alone in the winner's circle of the World's Cutest Rescue Dog Contest; two runners-up joined the pooch in the competition's top three. Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025 Even the couple’s cute pooch got in on the action, as evidenced by a snap of the black and white dog walking down the aisle in advance of Bareilles while decked out in a miniature tuxedo. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2025 The cranky and irritating backseat driver, who bums a lift midway through the Griswolds' adventure, also has with her the easily excitable pooch Dinky. Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025 Once the dog was secured, the two walked back to the parking lot, and Hawkins was able to text the pooch's owner using the number on the dog's tag. Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pooch

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

Verb

alteration of pouch entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1908, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pooch was in 1908

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Cite this Entry

“Pooch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pooch. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

pooch

noun
ˈpüch
informal

More from Merriam-Webster on pooch

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