puppy

noun

pup·​py ˈpə-pē 

plural puppies

1

: a young domestic dog

specifically : one less than a year old

2

: baby sense 4

a computer that is one fast puppy

puppyhood

ˈpə-pē-ˌhu̇d 

noun

puppyish

ˈpə-pē-ish 

adjective

puppylike

ˈpə-pē-ˌlīk 

adjective

Examples of puppy in a Sentence

Our dog just had four puppies.

Recent Examples on the Web

The post consisted of two dashcam images of a distraught 12-year-old who, desperate to heal her sick puppy, got behind the wheel for the first time and tried to drive to the vet. —Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 Oct. 2025

The complacent faces of phony mediums swirl in my head, along with unsettling spirit photographs and images of puppies that had died with a sudden yelp for no apparent reason. —Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025

There will be puppy chow and PBR, a burger of the week and Oreo brownies, mimosas and made-to-order breakfast sandwiches. —Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 20 Oct. 2025

In this first installment, Millan breaks down his step-by-step approach to house training your puppy. —Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English popi, from Middle French poupée doll, toy, from *poupe

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing puppy

• foster dog/cat/puppy/kitten
• hush puppy
• mud puppy
• one sick puppy
• one tired puppy
• puppy dog
• puppy fat
• puppy love
• puppy mill

Rhymes for puppy

• guppy
• yuppie

Kids Definition

puppy

noun

pup·​py ˈpəp-ē 

plural puppies

: a young domestic dog

especially : one less than a year old