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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of attack dog
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
Liberal college lecturer Storer H. Rowley goes after Trump like the newspaper’s personal attack dog.
—Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attack dog
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
Liberal college lecturer Storer H. Rowley goes after Trump like the newspaper’s personal attack dog.
—Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attack dog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attack dog
Noun
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Bruce, as the stunt shark built to menace them is nicknamed, is acting up and delaying the acting itself.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
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For context, however, the one-in-4,200 risk of danger to anyone is higher than the chances of a single person being struck by lightning in their lifetime or of a scuba diver or surfer getting bitten by a shark.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
10 Mar. 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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Each managed a separate region, had his own group of hit men and developed his own fearsome reputation.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
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With their leader detained, El Mayo’s sicarios, or hit men, declared war against supporters of Chapo’s sons in an attempt to exact vengeance for the treachery and strengthen their own position in the wider organization.—
Daniel DePetris,
Mercury News,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In 2010, the duo separated, going opposite directions; Malice sought repentance through the church while Pusha became a hatchet man for Kanye West.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
19 Dec. 2025
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Arthur is known as Conkling’s hatchet man, a customs collector for the Port of New York who’s shown, in one amusing snippet, presiding over the beating of a noncompliant businessman.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Attack dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attack%20dog. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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