as in to chase
to go after or on the track of
suspecting infidelity, he hired a private detective to bird-dog his wife
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bird-dog
Verb
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But then Linda goes chasing a wild boar through the jungle while toting a bamboo spear, and impales it to death in a gleefully gratuitous scene of CGI gore.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026 -
The provincial chief minister, Sarfraz Bugti, wrote on X that security forces were chasing the insurgents.—
Abdul Sattar,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That means if a wolf dog ever bites someone, euthanasia and testing may be required.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
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Possessing second-generation wolf dogs, defined in California as the offspring of a domestic dog and a half-wolf, half-dog hybrid — with no more than 25% wolf — is legal.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacramento Bee,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The computer program that tracks the snowplows is called Blade Runner.—
Naaman Zhou,
New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2026
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Types of polar vortex events Meteorologists generally track two main ways the polar vortex behaves when it’s disrupted.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Larger dogs tend to have more wolf ancestry, and certain working breeds, such as Arctic sled dogs, wild-dog breeds, and hunting dogs, are more likely to have this trait.—
Ritsuko Kawai,
Wired News,
25 Dec. 2025
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The scientists noted multiple patterns in their analysis, including higher wolf ancestry in larger dogs and in those who are bred as Arctic sled dogs, pariah breeds, and hunting dogs, per the American Museum of Natural History.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Alouette and her comrades pursue a different life but do not seek it for everyone, which feels right not just for their era but for their experience of trauma.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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In an interview after the hearing, Watts, a Democrat who chairs the committee, told Fortune that the Committee would look into options to pursue an independent audit and understand what happened to the altered record.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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William Tong thought a puppy dog would be innocuous.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
22 Jan. 2026
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Meanwhile, quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the opposite: a big, smiling, slobbering puppy dog of a human being.—
Will Leitch,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In New York, the publication dogged former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s progressive policies and his personal life, covering everything from his gym visits to his divorce in cringe-inducing detail.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
2 Feb. 2026
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But the office has released nothing so far that recommends changes to a school district that has been dogged for years by complaints of corruption and mismanagement.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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As the heist approaches, the line between hunter and hunted begins to blur, and all three are faced with life-defining choices–and the realization that there can be no turning back.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
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Another approach for bargain hunters is to target discontinued models, of which there are about two dozen.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Bird-dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bird-dog. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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