Meanings
plural purse puppies
- informalA dog small enough to fit into a sleeve, purse, or backpack.
I was one of those women today, a girl looking for a purse puppy.
2017, Kelly Collins, Set Up: The Second Chance Series, →ISBN3 more examples
Regina quickly set Serena onto the floor and spoke baby jabber to the cherished purse puppy.
2012, Nancy Mangano, Murder Can Be Messy, →ISBN, page 132Be aware that size descriptions such as teacup, micro, mini, baby doll, purse puppy, teddy bear, and other similar terms for smaller-than-normal Yorkshire Terriers are simply marketing ploys for Yorkies who don't fit the breed.
2012, Debra Eldredge, Liz Palika, Your Yorkshire Terrier Puppy Month By Month, →ISBNWhen Sam and I first moved into our apartment, we discussed getting a puppy. “A purse puppy!” We yelled at the same time. And then jumped up and down in an overly excited, sister roommate dance.
2017, Raquel Fletcher, The Year I Turned 25: A Memoir About Sex, Anxiety and a Dog Named She-Devil, →ISBN
Origin
From the idea that the dog is small enough to fit into a purse.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with purse puppy
All rhymes →Cite this entry
purse puppy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/purse%20puppy
“purse puppy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/purse%20puppy. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “purse puppy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/purse%20puppy.
Source: purse puppy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.