wild dog

noun

: any of various undomesticated canids (such as an African wild dog or a dingo) that resemble the domestic dog

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

While some species have been less successful (namely cheetahs), others, such as the endangered African wild dog, have thrived. —Mary Holland, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2023

The New Guinea highland wild dog is thought to have left mainland Asia in the company of humans and then returned to the wild before trekking across a land bridge to Australia and there evolving into the dingo. —Richard Pallardy, Discover Magazine, 3 Nov. 2021

This made scientists ponder: could something similar be happening to Chernobyl’s wild dogs? —Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 1 Apr. 2023

Or maybe a wild dog? —oregonlive, 23 Mar. 2023

Satpura night drives run through the park’s buffer zones, and offer the chance to witness a host of creatures: leopards, sloths, wild dogs, and, of course, tigers. —Stephanie Vermillion, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Feb. 2023

The Olkola and some conservationists disagree over the role played by the dingo—a wild dog species that has been present in Australia for around 3,500 years. —Anthony Ham, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2023

Additionally, the date of admixture aligns with the change in archaeology and the introduction of the dingo, a wild dog which happens to resemble the feral populations of India. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2013

Attacking in large groups and built for long chases, around 80% of wild dog hunts end in a kill. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2010

See More

Word History

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined above