watchdog

1 of 2

noun

watch·​dog ˈwäch-ˌdȯg 

ˈwȯch-

1

: a dog kept to guard property

2

: one that guards against loss, waste, theft, or undesirable practices

watchdog

2 of 2

verb

watchdogged; watchdogging; watchdogs

transitive verb

: to act as a watchdog for

Examples of watchdog in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Iran, in turn, is fortifying several of its nuclear facilities, according to new satellite imagery and analysis from an independent nuclear watchdog. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026

To visualize the impact, the watchdog group calculates that a typical couple age 60 today, who retire at the moment of insolvency, would face an $18,400 annual cut in benefits. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026

By Olivia Fletcher, Bloomberg Ireland’s data protection watchdog has launched an investigation into X over concerns about sexualized images created and published using the Grok AI chatbot. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026

Iran’s foreign minister met with the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog Monday as Tehran signaled openness to a US deal in exchange for sanctions relief. —J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1902, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for watchdog

• agog
• backlog
• bulldog
• bullfrog
• eclogue
• eggnog
• groundhog
• hedgehog
• leapfrog
• prolog
• sheepdog
• analog

Kids Definition

watchdog

noun

watch·​dog

ˈwäch-ˌdȯg, 

ˈwȯch-

1

: a dog kept to guard property

2

: one that guards against loss, waste, theft, or dishonesty