Meanings
plural dogs in the fight
- USusually in the phrase 'have a dog in the fight'A personal stake in an issue.
What is the perfect Premier League season for football fans without a dog in the fight?
2024, Max Rushden in The Guardian newspaper, Sat 17 Aug 20241 more example
Wilson: He's right. They endorse Royce, fine, 'the hell else they gonna do? But what they say and don't say from the pulpit the Sunday before the primary we still got a dog in that fight. Carcetti: I do this right, they respect it. Wilson: An' if they don't, at least they get to see a beggin’-ass white man on his knees. Always a feel-good moment for the folks.
2006 October 1, Dennis Lehane, “Refugees” (00:32:06), in The Wire, season 4, episode 4Synonyms: dog in the race
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA personal stake in an issue.
Origin
In reference to dogfighting and its spectators.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
dog in the fight. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dog%20in%20the%20fight
“dog in the fight.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dog%20in%20the%20fight. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dog in the fight,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dog%20in%20the%20fight.
Source: dog in the fight on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.