prairie dog

noun

: any of a genus (Cynomys) of gregarious burrowing rodents of the squirrel family chiefly of central and western U.S. plains

especially : a black-tailed rodent (C. ludovicianus) that usually lives in extensive colonial burrows

Illustration of prairie dog

Examples of prairie dog in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lander Lil, a prairie dog statue, came in third place Lander Lil is not a weather-predicting groundhog, but a bronze prairie dog statue located at the local post office in Lander, Wyoming. —Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

Neither the prairie dogs nor the ferrets have any natural defense against it. —Austin Corona, The Arizona Republic, 23 Sep. 2024

Nearby attractions include a prairie dog town, wetlands, and a 2-mile interpretative trail—one of the few dedicated hiking paths on the preserve. —Adam Roy, Outside Online, 24 Apr. 2025

Most of the collisions were birds, including bald eagles, owls larks and mallards, but some of the strikes included prairie dogs, bats, coyotes and rabbits. —Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prairie dog

• analog
• analogue
• catalogue
• decalogue
• demagogue
• dialogue
• epilogue
• homologue
• monologue
• pedagogue
• synagogue
• tagalog

Kids Definition

prairie dog

noun

: a black-tailed buff or grayish rodent of central and western U.S. prairies that is related to the squirrels and usually lives in colonies with many burrows