watchdog

1 of 2

noun

watch·​dog ˈwäch-ˌdȯg How to pronounce watchdog (audio)
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
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
At a time when contentious words dominate our conversations—think insurrection and fascism and fake news and woke—the need for dictionaries to chronicle and explain language, and serve as its watchdog, has never been greater. Stefan Fatsis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025 Meanwhile, the Labor Department’s internal watchdog office opened an investigation yesterday into how the Bureau of Labor Statistics collects data on jobs and inflation. Alex Harring, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025 The watchdog found that reports of credit card identity theft have risen 36 percent between the fourth quarter of 2024 and the second quarter of 2025, with slightly less steep increases across other fraud categories. Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025 According to Monitoring Analytics, an independent watchdog of PJM, roughly three-quarters of the increase, totaling over $9 billion, can be attributed to current and projected future demand from data centers. Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for watchdog

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1902, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of watchdog was in 1612

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Watchdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/watchdog. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on watchdog

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