house dog

noun

A dog used to protect a house, a watchdog; (later also) a dog kept as a pet.

Similar
watchdog
First used 16th c.
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Meanings

nounhouse dog (plural house dogs)

plural house dogs

  1. A dog used to protect a house, a watchdog; (later also) a dog kept as a pet.First known use 16th c.

    The house-dog, with the vacant greyhound, lies, / Out-stretch'd, and sleepy.

    a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Summer”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC

    Synonyms: watchdog

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA dog used to protect a house, a watchdog; (later also) a dog kept as a pet.

Similar
watchdog

Origin

From house + dog.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

house dog. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/house%20dog

MLA

“house dog.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/house%20dog. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “house dog,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/house%20dog.

Source: house dog on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.