shih tzu

noun, often capitalized S&T

\ ˈshēd-ˈzü

How to pronounce shih tzu (audio)

, ˈshēt-ˈsü\

plural shih tzu also shih tzus

Definition of shih tzu

: any of an old Chinese breed of toy dogs that have a square short unwrinkled muzzle, short muscular legs, and a long dense flowing coat

Examples of shih tzu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Someone doused a 2-year-old shih tzu dog with harmful chemicals and left him for dead in the St. Charles Parish community of St. Rose, according to a news release from PETA. — Littice Bacon-blood, NOLA.com, "Dog doused with harmful chemicals, PETA offers $5K reward," 21 Mar. 2018 Tuxedo Tuxedo is an eight-year-old shih tzu mix who lives with Jake Levy. — Vogue, "Meet 7 Four-Legged Models Who Ruled the Fall Catwalks," 10 Apr. 2018 Schumann currently has one therapy dog — Paisley, a shih tzu bichon mix — in the program. — Cathy Janek, Aurora Beacon-News, "Fox Valley club puts dogs to work providing comfort at nursing homes, hospitals," 19 Jan. 2018 Miriam Humphries, 66, and her shih tzu mix, Cassie, flew from Birmingham, Ala., in late December to spend 2 1/2 weeks with Humphries’ brother Roy Bishop and his family in Folsom. — Benjy Egel, sacbee, "She flew home heartbroken over her missing dog. Days later, he was found in Folsom," 17 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shih tzu.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of shih tzu was in 1921

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