as in shark
one who makes harsh, personal attacks against opponents
his reputation as a political attack dog earned him the vice presidential spot on the ticket
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Recent Examples of attack dog
Vance often has served as an attack dog for the administration, including lashing out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an Oval Office visit.
—
Zac Anderson, USA Today, 21 Jan. 2026
Vance has spent the first year as the White House No. 2 as an attack dog for Trump while appealing to the president’s more populist base and burnishing his bona fides with younger conservative voters, particularly Turning Point USA, in the aftermath of the death of co-founder Charlie Kirk.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 19 Jan. 2026
Who is Brendan Carr? Carr is a long-serving member of the FCC who has become an increasingly visible attack dog for the Trump administration this year.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
Pulte, who was appointed to lead the FHFA by Trump, has acted as an attack dog on the president’s behalf against the Fed, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Cook in recent weeks.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attack dog
Zac Anderson, USA Today, 21 Jan. 2026
Vance has spent the first year as the White House No. 2 as an attack dog for Trump while appealing to the president’s more populist base and burnishing his bona fides with younger conservative voters, particularly Turning Point USA, in the aftermath of the death of co-founder Charlie Kirk.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 19 Jan. 2026
Who is Brendan Carr? Carr is a long-serving member of the FCC who has become an increasingly visible attack dog for the Trump administration this year.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
Pulte, who was appointed to lead the FHFA by Trump, has acted as an attack dog on the president’s behalf against the Fed, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Cook in recent weeks.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attack dog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attack dog
Noun
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While Bronze's face was painted with a shark and some flames, little Sterling looked sweet with unicorns and rainbows across her cheeks.—
Clare Fisher,
PEOPLE,
26 May 2026
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Stay out of the water at dawn, dusk and night, when some species of sharks may move inshore to feed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
Noun
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Social media platforms were a critical battleground during the campaign, with political mudslingers waging cyberwar with few legal constraints after the government failed to act on calls for a new law to protect democracy in the internet age.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
12 Dec. 2019
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In 2010, when the group launched ahead of Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, Brock had imposed a set of self-regulations on the staff that would cultivate an air of respectability for the mudslingers.—
Gabriel Debenedetti,
Daily Intelligencer,
20 May 2018
Noun
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Today there are two main types of lobbyists in Springfield: those who work exclusively for a single corporation or interest group — the state’s manufacturers or retailers, for instance — and those who contract with a variety of clients, essentially hired guns for anyone willing to pay.—
Dan Petrella,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Nov. 2024
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Every four years, ambitious consultants and hired guns sit down with aspiring presidents and sell them a lie.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
17 Aug. 2023
Noun
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Tucked away in the elaborate sculpture are renditions of John Paul’s nemeses—Hitler, Stalin, and Lenin—as well as biographical details, like a pair of skis as well as a bullet, a reference to the 1981 attempt on his life by Turkish hit man Mehmet Ali Ağca.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
5 May 2026
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Guo agreed to meet with the hit man in Philadelphia on Oct. 6 to give him $2,500 to buy a gun.—
Laura Fay,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The hatchet man, of course, was John Howard Lawson, and his boss was a man named V.J. Jerome [the Communist Party USA’s longtime cultural commissar].—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2026
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The thinking around Washington was that Jon Husted, who was put in his seat after J.D. Vance left it to become Trump’s right-hand hatchet man, would be a responsible custodian who could coast through this November’s special election to finish out the balance of Vance’s term.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attack dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attack%20dog. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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