dog

plural dogs · alternative dialectal pronunciation spelling darg · alternative dialectal pronunciation spelling dawg · alternative dialectal pronunciation spelling dorg · alternative dialectal pronunciation spelling dug · alternative obsolete dogge · alternative childish doggie · alternative childish doggy · alternative childish doggy woggy · alternative childish doggo · alternative Internet doge

1. A mammal of the family Canidae:
   1. countableuncountableThe species Canis familiaris (sometimes designated Canis lupus familiaris), domesticated for thousands of years and of highly variable appearance because of human breeding.

      The dog barked all night long.

      3 more examples

      […] I beg again to state, in my humility, that I am Only a Dog. Such a little dog too. […] I am very white, very woolly, very pretty indeed; covered all over with snowy curls, and having two bright black eyes and a black shiny tip to my nose like patent leather.

      1870, Ouida [pseudonym; Maria Louise Ramé], “Introduction. His First Paper.”, in Puck: His Vicissitudes, Adventures, Observations, Conclusions, Friendships, and Philosophies. […], volume I, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, page 2

      The preposterous altruism too![…]Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.

      1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XVI, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

      When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him.[…]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.

      1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

   2. countableuncountableAny member of the family Canidae, including domestic dogs, wolves, coyotes, jackals, and their relatives (extant and extinct).

      This includes the development of hyena-like bone crushers (Osteoborus and Borophagus), a large bone-crushing hunting dog (Aelurodon), and another borophagine frugivorous dog (Carpocyon).

      1989, John L. Gittleman, Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution, page 561

      Synonyms: canid

   3. attributivecountableoftenuncountableA male dog, wolf, or fox, as opposed to a bitch or vixen.

      Entirely disregarding sex, Ch. Searchlight has a beautiful Cocker head, but as he is a dog, his head is too fine and far too much upon the bitchy order.

      1908, Dogdom, volume 9, page 337, column 1

      1 more example

      Firstly, he was there to encourage and assist the hounds (a scratch pack – mostly dog-hounds drafted from fox-hound kennels because they were over-sized) […]

      1928, Siegfried Sassoon, Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man, Penguin, published 2013, page 149

2. rareuncountableThe meat of this animal, eaten as food.

   Did you know that they eat dog in parts of Asia?

3. A person:
   1. countablederogatoryfigurativelyslanguncountableA dull, unattractive girl or woman.

      She’s a real dog.

   2. countablefigurativelyslanguncountableA man, guy, chap.

      You lucky dog!

   3. countablederogatoryfigurativelyuncountableSomeone who overeats or eats rapidly and noisily.

      Synonyms: animal, belly-god, big back, buzgut, cormorant, epicure, gannet, glutton

   4. countablederogatoryfigurativelyuncountableSomeone who is cowardly, worthless, or morally reprehensible.

      You dirty dog.

      5 more examples

      Come back and fight, you dogs!

      Blasphemous dog, I wonder that the earth / Doth cease from renting vnderneath thy feete, / To swallow vp those cankred corpes of thine.

      1599, Robert Greene, Alphonsus, King of Aragon, act 3

      And Hazael ſaid, But what, is thy ſeruant a dogge, that he ſhould doe this great thing?

      1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Kings 8:13, column 1

      [A]t last Mahomed's stood straight up upon its vertebræ, and glared at me through its empty eyeholes, and cursed me with its grinning jaws, because I, a dog of a Christian, disturbed the last sleep of a true believer.

      1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC

      Then, with an ugly oath, “Get up, you dog!” and, drawing back his booted foot, he kicked Tarzan heavily in the side.

      1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 83

   5. countablefigurativelyslanguncountableA sexually aggressive man.

      DJ Paul is a dog; one you do not trust.

      2005, “Stay Fly”, in Jordan Houston, Darnell Carlton, Paul Beauregard, Premro Smith, Marlon Goodwin, David Brown, Willie Hutchinson (lyrics), Most Known Unknown, performed by Three 6 Mafia (featuring Young Buck, 8 Ball, and MJG), Sony BMG

4. A mechanical device or support:
   1. countableuncountableAny of various mechanical devices for holding, gripping, or fastening something, particularly with a tooth-like projection.

      Whenever possible, let the tree support the weight of the chainsaw. Pivot the saw, using the saw's dogs (spikes) as a fulcrum.

      2009, ForestWorks, Chainsaw Operator's Manual, page 41

   2. countableuncountableA click or pallet adapted to engage the teeth of a ratchet wheel, to restrain the back action.

      Synonyms: click, pallet, pawl, ratchet

   3. countableuncountableA metal support for logs in a fireplace.

      The dogs were too hot to touch.

      1 more example

      In the great old-fashioned fireplace behind the high iron dogs a log-fire crackled and snapped.

      1902, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles

      Synonyms: andiron, fire dog, dogiron

   4. countablehistoricaluncountabletransportA double-ended side spike driven through a hole in the flange of a rail on a tramway.
5. countableuncountablecartomancyThe eighteenth Lenormand card.
6. countableuncountableA hot dog: a frankfurter, wiener, or similar sausage; or a sandwich made from this.

   Congressmen gleefully wolfed down every imaginable version of the hot dog – smoked kielbasas, jumbo grillers, Big & Juicy's, kosher dogs and spiced dogs […]

   1994 July 21, Faye Fiore, “Congress relishes another franking privilege: Meat lobby puts on the dog with exclusive luncheon for lawmakers – experts on pork”, in Los Angeles Times

7. countableslanguncountablecard gamesAn underdog.
8. countablein pluralslanguncountableFoot; toe.

   My dogs are barking!

   My feet hurt!

   1 more example

   You look good in those shoes with your dogs out!

   You look good wearing shoes that show your toes!

9. Cockneycountableslanguncountable(from "dog and bone") Phone or mobile phone.

   My dog is dead.

   My mobile-phone battery has run out of charge.

10. countableuncountableOne of the cones used to divide up a racetrack when training horses.
11. countableinformaluncountableSomething that performs poorly.

    That modification turned his Dodge hemi into a dog.

    1 more example

    He gives his dog-Mota or dog-Fiji in exchange for Pigeon English.

    1885, Robert H. Codrington, The Melanesian Languages, page 143

    1. countableinformaluncountablebroadcastingA flop; a film that performs poorly at the box office.

       Blue was released, and as Redford had predicted, it was a dog.

       1969, Ski, volume 34, number 4, page 121

       1 more example

       "When The Alamo was coming out, the word of mouth on it was that it was a dog," Chase said.

       2012, Ronald L. Davis, Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne

12. archaiccountableuncountableengineeringA cock, as of a gun.

    To this succeeded the Snaplance ^([sic]), in which a motion was given to the dog, or cock, and a movable plate of steel, called the frizel, or hammer, was placed vertically above the pan to receive the action of the flint.

    1832, The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, volume 10, page 164

13. countableuncountablepreceded by definite articleA dance having a brief vogue in the 1960s in which the actions of a dog were mimicked.

    Hmm, see the girl with the red dress on She can do the dog all night long.

    1964, “What'd I Say”, Ray Charles (lyrics), performed by Elvis Presley

    2 more examples

    Just like the dog but not so low Like the hully gully but not so slow Now baby swim, baby do the swim.

    1964, “C'mon and Swim”, Thomas Coman and Sylvester Stewart (Sly Stone) (lyrics), performed by Bobby Freeman

    We had a lovely dance—luckily it was a slow number. I don't think Mr. Lincoln would have been up to the dog or a fast twist.

    1967, Trudy Baker, Rachel Jones, Donald Bain (uncredited), Coffee, Tea, or Me?: The Uninhibited Memoirs of Two Airline Stewardesses, New York: Bantam Books, page 173

present singular third person dogs · participle present dogging · participle past dogged · past dogged · alternative dialectal pronunciation spelling darg · alternative dialectal pronunciation spelling dawg · alternative dialectal pronunciation spelling dorg · alternative dialectal pronunciation spelling dug · alternative obsolete dogge · alternative childish doggie · alternative childish doggy · alternative childish doggy woggy · alternative childish doggo · alternative Internet doge

1. transitiveTo pursue with the intent to catch.

   Synonyms: chase, chase after, go after, pursue, tag, tail, track, trail

2. transitiveTo follow in an annoying or harassing way.

   The woman cursed him so that trouble would dog his every step.

   5 more examples

   […] they were discovered in a very improper manner by the husband of the gypsy, who, from jealousy it seems, had kept a watchful eye over his wife, and had dogged her to the place, where he found her in the arms of her gallant.

   1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC

   ‘Notwithstanding Mr Maxwell’s acknowledged abilities and energy, he is not in our opinion a person who can be relied upon to exercise proper stewardship of a publicly quoted company.’ These words, from the conclusion of the interim report by two Department of Trade inspectors in 1970, were to dog Maxwell for the rest of his business career.

   1991 November 6, Dennis Barker, Christopher Sylvester, “Robert Maxwell obituary”, in The Guardian

   But this is not an Athletic that ever looks comfortable at the back – a criticism that has often dogged Marcelo Bielsa's sides.

   2012 May 9, Jonathan Wilson, “Europa League: Radamel Falcao's Atlético Madrid rout Athletic Bilbao”, in the Guardian

   Yet Google, which was founded in 1998, is dogged by the perception that its best days are behind it.

   2021 June 21, Daisuke Wakabayashi, “Google Executives See Cracks in Their Company’s Success”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   While the PLA has achieved significant technological milestones in recent years, it has also been dogged by a corruption scandal in its ranks. A number of senior officials have been purged, raising questions about how ready the PLA is to fight a war from a leadership perspective.

   2026 January 20, Patrick Martin, “China's air force has technology that rivals the US's and it could be pivotal in any conflict over Taiwan”, in Australian Broadcasting Corporation, archived from the original on 20 Jan 2026, News

3. transitivenauticalTo fasten a hatch securely.

   It is very important to dog down these hatches.

4. intransitiveemerging usage in UKTo watch, or participate, in sexual activity in a public place.

   I admit that I like to dog at my local country park.

   1 more example

   Lightning [is a] burst of charged particles that lights up the sky and allows onlookers to see who's dogging in the bushes without using a flashlight.

   2012, The Onion Book of Known Knowledge, page 118

5. intransitivetransitiveTo intentionally restrict one's productivity as employee; to work at the slowest rate that goes unpunished.

   A surprise inspection of the night shift found that some workers were dogging it.

   Synonyms: soldier, goldbrick

6. slangtransitiveTo criticize.

   Harmon Rabb (David James Elliott): Are you dogging Harm's special meatless meatloaf? Sarah MacKenzie (Catherine Bell): Let's put it this way. If you were to make the Harmon Special on this ship, they'd have to unload it with the toxic waste.

   1999 March 30, “Shakedown”, in JAG, season 4, episode 18, via CBS

7. transitivegovernmentTo divide (a watch) with a comrade.

   Meanwhile, we dogged the watch sections so that both halves of the crew could fetch full sea bags of uniforms and gear […]

   2015, Tom Vetter, 30,000 Leagues Undersea

   1 more example

   A. We never stood 4 to 8 p.m. watches, sir. We dogged our watches. Q. I suppose that is 6 to 8 p.m., then; it is a little indistinct. I mean the second dog watch.

   1902, Winfield Scott Schley, Record of Proceedings of a Court of Inquiry

alternative dialectal pronunciation spelling darg · alternative dialectal pronunciation spelling dawg · alternative dialectal pronunciation spelling dorg · alternative dialectal pronunciation spelling dug · alternative obsolete dogge · alternative childish doggie · alternative childish doggy · alternative childish doggy woggy · alternative childish doggo · alternative Internet doge

1. not comparableslangOf inferior quality; very bad.

   Oh man, this game is absolutely dog!

plural DOGs

1. abbreviationinitialismInitialism of digital on-screen graphic.
2. abbreviationinitialismInitialism of digitally originated graphic.

1. World War II era; joint US/RAF; World War II era; joint US/RAFradiotelephony clear-code word for the letter D.

   Synonyms: Delta

1. humorousThe language supposedly spoken by dogs

   Shakespeare could understand Human, the language used by people, as well as Dog, the telepathic speech with which canines communicated with each other.

   2005, Jean Little, Forward, Shakespeare!, Orca Book Publishers, →ISBN, page 2

   2 more examples

   Lara's biggest frustration was that she could only speak one language – her native tongue of Dog. She would have loved to learn to speak Human but this was beyond the spy-training programme.

   2006, Andrew Cope, Spy Dog: Captured!, Penguin UK, →ISBN, page 12

   I blinked. “I thought you were talking to Blake about a dog.” “Cath,” Jake said, “I'm trying to be more open about this. Didn't you just say that you could talk to animals?” The realization dawned on me. “I don't speak Dog very well, but it's worth a try.”

   2015, Harper Lin, Pawsitively Dead: A Wonder Cats Mystery

   Synonyms: dog, dogspeak

2. The eleventh of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
3. GeordieslangNewcastle Brown Ale

   This article celebrates the fine city of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, situated in northeast England, and its gentle inhabitants, the Geordies. […] Oh yes. Nothing like a pint of dog to establish oneself as a suave sophisticate.

   2006, Verity Stob, The Best of Verity Stob, page 8

   1 more example

   This popularity has led to another nickname for the beer in its local market: the Dog. Pubgoers in the Northeast often refer to their nightly trip to the pub as “going out to walk the dog.” And because Newcastle Brown Ale is often the beer they are seeking, the company has launched a whole new advertising campaign referring to its beer as "the Dog."

   2017, Ray Daniels, Jim Parker, Brown Ale: History, Brewing Techniques, Recipes, Brewers Publications, →ISBN, page 35

   Synonyms: Broon, Broonale, Journey into Space, Newkie Brown

4. with definite articleastronomyThe Dog Star; Sirius.

   But he must ever watch the northern Bear, Who from her frozen height with jealous eye Confronts the Dog and the Hunter in the south, And is alone not dipt in Ocean's stream.

   1869, Matthew Arnold, Early Poems, Narrative Poems and Sonnets, London: Macmillan and Co., published 1885, page 150