What does "dog" mean?
Initialism of digital on-screen graphic.
Dog
/dɒɡ/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Initialism of digital on-screen graphic.
- Grammar: dog is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: hound, domestic dog, blackguard, bounder.
- Useful contrasts: acquiesce, assist, cat.
- Usage evidence: I buried my dog at the pet cemetery.
How to use "dog"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dog" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dog" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dog" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dog" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dog" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hound" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dog", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Initialism of digital on-screen graphic. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 2 A mammal of the family Canidae:; The species Canis familiaris (sometimes designated Canis lupus familiaris), domesticated for thousands of years and of highly variable appearance because of human breeding. countable, uncountable
"The dog barked all night long."
- 3 radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter D.
- 4 a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds wordnet
- 5 Initialism of digitally originated graphic. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Show 27 more definitions
- 6 A mammal of the family Canidae:; Any member of the family Canidae, including domestic dogs, wolves, coyotes, jackals, and their relatives (extant and extinct). countable, uncountable
"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)."
- 7 metal supports for logs in a fireplace wordnet
- 8 A mammal of the family Canidae:; A male dog, wolf, or fox, as opposed to a bitch or vixen. attributive, countable, often, uncountable
"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."
- 9 a hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward wordnet
- 10 The meat of this animal, eaten as food. uncountable
"Did you know that they eat dog in parts of Asia?"
- 11 a smooth-textured sausage of minced beef or pork usually smoked; often served on a bread roll wordnet
- 12 A person:; A dull, unattractive girl or woman. countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable
"She’s a real dog."
- 13 someone who is morally reprehensible wordnet
- 14 A person:; A man, guy, chap. countable, slang, uncountable
"You lucky dog!"
- 15 informal term for a man wordnet
- 16 A person:; Someone who is cowardly, worthless, or morally reprehensible. countable, derogatory, uncountable
"Come back and fight, you dogs!"
- 17 a dull unattractive unpleasant girl or woman wordnet
- 18 A person:; A sexually aggressive man. countable, slang, uncountable
"DJ Paul is a dog; one you do not trust."
- 19 A mechanical device or support:; Any of various mechanical devices for holding, gripping, or fastening something, particularly with a tooth-like projection. countable, uncountable
"Whenever possible, let the tree support the weight of the chainsaw. Pivot the saw, using the saw's dogs (spikes) as a fulcrum."
- 20 A mechanical device or support:; A click or pallet adapted to engage the teeth of a ratchet wheel, to restrain the back action. countable, uncountable
- 21 A mechanical device or support:; A metal support for logs in a fireplace. countable, uncountable
"The dogs were too hot to touch."
- 22 A mechanical device or support:; A double-ended side spike driven through a hole in the flange of a rail on a tramway. countable, historical, uncountable
- 23 The eighteenth Lenormand card. countable, uncountable
- 24 A hot dog: a frankfurter, wiener, or similar sausage; or a sandwich made from this. countable, uncountable
"Congressmen gleefully wolfed down every imaginable version of the hot dog – smoked kielbasas, jumbo grillers, Big & Juicy's, kosher dogs and spiced dogs […]"
- 25 An underdog. countable, slang, uncountable
- 26 Foot; toe. countable, in-plural, slang, uncountable
"My dogs are barking!"
- 27 (from "dog and bone") Phone or mobile phone. Cockney, countable, slang, uncountable
"My dog is dead."
- 28 One of the cones used to divide up a racetrack when training horses. countable, uncountable
- 29 Something that performs poorly. countable, informal, uncountable
"He gives his dog-Mota or dog-Fiji in exchange for Pigeon English."
- 30 Something that performs poorly.; A flop; a film that performs poorly at the box office. countable, informal, uncountable
"Blue was released, and as Redford had predicted, it was a dog."
- 31 A cock, as of a gun. archaic, countable, uncountable
"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."
- 32 A dance having a brief vogue in the 1960s in which the actions of a dog were mimicked. countable, uncountable
"Hmm, see the girl with the red dress on She can do the dog all night long."
Verb
- 1 To pursue with the intent to catch. transitive
- 2 go after with the intent to catch wordnet
- 3 To follow in an annoying or harassing way. transitive
"The woman cursed him so that trouble would dog his every step."
- 4 To fasten a hatch securely. transitive
"It is very important to dog down these hatches."
- 5 To watch, or participate, in sexual activity in a public place. intransitive
"I admit that I like to dog at my local country park."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To intentionally restrict one's productivity as employee; to work at the slowest rate that goes unpunished. intransitive, transitive
"A surprise inspection of the night shift found that some workers were dogging it."
- 7 To criticize. slang, transitive
"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."
- 8 To divide (a watch) with a comrade. transitive
"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."
Adjective
- 1 Of inferior quality; very bad. not-comparable, slang
"Oh man, this game is absolutely dog!"
Proper Noun
- 1 The language supposedly spoken by dogs humorous
"Shakespeare could understand Human, the language used by people, as well as Dog, the telepathic speech with which canines communicated with each other."
- 2 The eleventh of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
- 3 Newcastle Brown Ale Geordie, slang
"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."
- 4 The Dog Star; Sirius. with-definite-article
"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."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I buried my dog at the pet cemetery."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dog"?
Common synonyms include: hound, domestic dog, blackguard, bounder, cad, canine.
How do you use "dog" in a sentence?
I buried my dog at the pet cemetery.
How do you pronounce "dog"?
Pronounced /dɒɡ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English dogge (akin to Scots dug), from Old English dogga, docga, of uncertain origin. The original meaning seems to have been a common dog, as opposed to a well-bred one, or something like 'cur', and perhaps later came to be used for stocky dogs. Possibly a pet-form diminutive with suffix -ga (compare frocga (“frog”), *picga (“pig”)), appended to a base *dog-, *doc- of unclear origin and meaning. One possibility is Old English dox (“dark, swarthy”) (compare frocga from frox). Another proposal is that it derives from Proto-West Germanic *dugan (“to be suitable”), the origin of Old English dugan (“to be good, worthy, useful”), English dow, Dutch deugen, German taugen. The theory goes that it could have been an epithet for dogs, commonly used by children, meaning "good/useful animal". Another is that it is related to *docce (“stock, muscle”), from Proto-West Germanic *dokkā (“round mass, ball, muscle, doll”), whence English dock (“stumpy tail”). In 14th-century England, hound (from Old English hund) was the general word for all domestic canines, and dog referred to a subtype resembling the modern mastiff and bulldog. By the 16th century, dog had become the general word, and hound had begun to refer only to breeds used for hunting. In the 16th century, the word dog was adopted by several continental European languages as their word for mastiff. Despite similarities in forms and meaning, not related to Mbabaram dog.
Etymology 2
Clipping of dogshit.
Etymology 3
The figurative sense "Newcastle Brown Ale" comes from the euphemism "I'm going to walk the dog" or "I'm going to see a man about a dog", meaning "I'm going to the pub for a drink". This was further popularised by a 1980s advertising campaign.