as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work
I worked for several years as a gofer and general dogsbody for a London publishing house
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dogsbody
Having progressed from bottle washing and being a general dogsbody to a youth strength and conditioning coach, Bunce served as Southampton’s head of athletic development between 2011 and 2014, working closely with youngsters such as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Luke Shaw.
—
Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024
Mercedes is everybody’s dogsbody, at home and at work.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2024
From 1938 to 1940 Nick Clifford was on Mount Rushmore, first as dogsbody and wood-chopper, then as labourer and winchman.
—The Economist, 1 Aug. 2019
Charley, who already has a casual job with Del (Steve Buscemi), a local horse trainer, now becomes his full-time dogsbody, or nagsbody—cleaning the stables, driving the truck, or walking Lean on Pete.
—Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2018
Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024
Mercedes is everybody’s dogsbody, at home and at work.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2024
From 1938 to 1940 Nick Clifford was on Mount Rushmore, first as dogsbody and wood-chopper, then as labourer and winchman.
—The Economist, 1 Aug. 2019
Charley, who already has a casual job with Del (Steve Buscemi), a local horse trainer, now becomes his full-time dogsbody, or nagsbody—cleaning the stables, driving the truck, or walking Lean on Pete.
—Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dogsbody
Noun
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In the early twentieth century, two groups of Indians living in America, young intellectuals and working-class laborers, had very different experiences of the country.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The actions of delivery truck drivers, warehouse laborers and many others can be tracked and sifted, too.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The listener is no longer an outsider from the polite world of public broadcasting, or podcasting, but a tired factory worker longing for relief.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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In Uttar Pradesh, a development initiative provided community health workers with a smartphone app that combined diagnostic and treatment instructions with a client-management program.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dogsbody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dogsbody. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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