DOG (dogged, dogging)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: dogged    , dogging   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does dog mean? 

• DOG (noun)
  The noun DOG has 7 senses:

1. 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

2. a dull unattractive unpleasant girl or woman

3. informal term for a man

4. someone who is morally reprehensible

5. a smooth-textured sausage of minced beef or pork usually smoked; often served on a bread roll

6. a hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward

7. metal supports for logs in a fireplace

  Familiarity information: DOG used as a noun is common.

• DOG (verb)
  The verb DOG has 1 sense:

1. go after with the intent to catch

  Familiarity information: DOG used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DOG (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

Canis familiaris; dog; domestic dog

Context example:

the dog barked all night

Hypernyms ("dog" is a kind of...):

domestic animal; domesticated animal (any of various animals that have been tamed and made fit for a human environment)

canid; canine (any of various fissiped mammals with nonretractile claws and typically long muzzles)

Meronyms (parts of "dog"):

flag (a conspicuously marked or shaped tail)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "dog"):

basenji (small smooth-haired breed of African origin having a tightly curled tail and the inability to bark)

Mexican hairless (any of an old breed of small nearly hairless dogs of Mexico)

poodle; poodle dog (an intelligent dog with a heavy curly solid-colored coat that is usually clipped; an old breed sometimes trained as sporting dogs or as performing dogs)

corgi; Welsh corgi (either of two Welsh breeds of long-bodied short-legged dogs with erect ears and a fox-like head)

Belgian griffon; Brussels griffon; griffon (breed of various very small compact wiry-coated dogs of Belgian origin having a short bearded muzzle)

spitz (any of various stocky heavy-coated breeds of dogs native to northern regions having pointed muzzles and erect ears with a curled furry tail)

Great Pyrenees (bred of large heavy-coated white dogs resembling the Newfoundland)

Newfoundland; Newfoundland dog (a breed of very large heavy dogs with a thick coarse usually black coat; highly intelligent dogs and vigorous swimmers; developed in Newfoundland)

Leonberg (a large dog (usually with a golden coat) produced by crossing a St Bernard and a Newfoundland)

pug; pug-dog (small compact smooth-coated breed of Asiatic origin having a tightly curled tail and broad flat wrinkled muzzle)

carriage dog; coach dog; dalmatian (a large breed having a smooth white coat with black or brown spots; originated in Dalmatia)

working dog (any of several breeds of usually large powerful dogs bred to work as draft animals and guard and guide dogs)

hunting dog (a dog used in hunting game)

toy; toy dog (any of several breeds of very small dogs kept purely as pets)

lapdog (a dog small and tame enough to be held in the lap)

cur; mongrel; mutt (an inferior dog or one of mixed breed)

barker; bow-wow; doggie; doggy; pooch (informal terms for dogs)

puppy (a young dog)

Holonyms ("dog" is a member of...):

Canis; genus Canis (type genus of the Canidae: domestic and wild dogs; wolves; jackals)

pack (a group of hunting animals)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A dull unattractive unpleasant girl or woman

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

dog; frump

Context example:

she's a real dog

Hypernyms ("dog" is a kind of...):

disagreeable woman; unpleasant woman (a woman who is an unpleasant person)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Informal term for a man

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

you lucky dog

Hypernyms ("dog" is a kind of...):

blighter; bloke; chap; cuss; fella; feller; fellow; gent; lad (a boy or man)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Someone who is morally reprehensible

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

blackguard; bounder; cad; dog; heel; hound

Context example:

you dirty dog

Hypernyms ("dog" is a kind of...):

scoundrel; villain (a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "dog"):

perisher (bounder)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A smooth-textured sausage of minced beef or pork usually smoked; often served on a bread roll

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

dog; frank; frankfurter; hot dog; hotdog; weenie; wiener; wienerwurst

Hypernyms ("dog" is a kind of...):

sausage (highly seasoned minced meat stuffed in casings)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "dog"):

Vienna sausage (short slender frankfurter usually with ends cut off)

Holonyms ("dog" is a part of...):

hot dog; hotdog; red hot (a frankfurter served hot on a bun)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

click; detent; dog; pawl

Hypernyms ("dog" is a kind of...):

catch; stop (a restraint that checks the motion of something)

Holonyms ("dog" is a part of...):

rachet; ratch; ratchet (mechanical device consisting of a toothed wheel or rack engaged with a pawl that permits it to move in only one direction)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Metal supports for logs in a fireplace

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

andiron; dog; dog-iron; firedog

Context example:

the andirons were too hot to touch

Hypernyms ("dog" is a kind of...):

support (any device that bears the weight of another thing)

• DOG (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they dog    ... he / she / it dogs   
Past simple: dogged   
Past participle: dogged   
-ing form: dogging   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Go after with the intent to catch

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

chase; chase after; dog; give chase; go after; tag; tail; track; trail

Context example:

the dog chased the rabbit

Hypernyms (to "dog" is one way to...):

follow; pursue (follow in or as if in pursuit)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dog"):

tree (chase an animal up a tree)

quest (search the trail of (game))

hound; hunt; trace (pursue or chase relentlessly)

run down (pursue until captured)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

Sam cannot dog Sue

 Context examples 

To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He must have lived like a dog.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

There was a scandal about his drenching a dog with petroleum and setting it on fire—her ladyship’s dog, to make the matter worse—and that was only hushed up with difficulty.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The little girl we dare not harm, nor the dog she carries in her arms.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

The dog said he was willing, and they jogged on together.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

I saw him try both experiments upon a dog, but could not discern any effect from the former.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Mars will be looking to cleanse a situation, and it will be dogged in finding it to show you.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

“My God!” he cried. “Someone has loosed the dog. It’s not been fed for two days. Quick, quick, or it’ll be too late!”

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He rubbed his nose, not reflectively, but savagely, in order to drive the blood into it, and urged the dogs to their work again.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

After all, however, there is nothing like custom, for neither Bilder nor his wife thought any more of the wolf than I should of a dog.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)