Meanings
- idiomaticinformalIn a situation of being the object of someone's anger or disapproval, especially one's spouse.
He forgets his anniversary, he's in the doghouse, but he pulls out of it with a romantic (i.e. expensive) dinner.
2008 December 5, David Eddie, “My wife told me not to make a fuss on her 50th”, in Globe and Mail2 more examples
I had a mighty interesting visitor. It was the Crown Prince of Germany's son. […] He is a mighty likable young fellow, about 26 years old, the second son, but the oldest one married outside the thoroughbred pasture and now he is in the doghouse as far as any succession is concerned.
1933 December 17, Will Rogers, “Noted Visitors at the Rogers Ranch”, in Milwaukee Journal, page 6Nick was deep in the doghouse with Louella after three days of persistent phone calls and his final less-than-tactful message.
1994, Karen Robards, Maggy's Child, →ISBN, page 196Synonyms: doghoused, in hot water, in someone's bad books, in the dogbox
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseIn a situation of being the object of someone's anger or disapproval, especially one's spouse.
Translations
Finnish epäsuosiossa
- epäsuosiossaExperiencing someone's anger or disapproval
German in Ungnade
- in UngnadeExperiencing someone's anger or disapproval
Italian in disgrazia
- in disgraziaExperiencing someone's anger or disapproval
Russian в опа́ле, в неми́лости
- в опа́ле (v opále)Experiencing someone's anger or disapproval
- в неми́лости (v nemílosti)Experiencing someone's anger or disapproval
- в заго́не (v zagóne)Experiencing someone's anger or disapproval
Cite this entry
in the doghouse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20doghouse
“in the doghouse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20doghouse. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in the doghouse,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20doghouse.
Source: in the doghouse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.