- dog
- [[t]dɒ̱g, AM dɔ͟ːg[/t]]
♦♦dogs, dogging, dogged1) N-COUNT A dog is a very common four-legged animal that is often kept by people as a pet or to guard or hunt. There are many different breeds of dog.
Outside, a dog was barking...
The dog growled again...
The British are renowned as a nation of dog lovers.
2) N-COUNT You use dog to refer to a male dog, or to the male of some related species such as wolves or foxes.Is this a dog or a bitch?
...a dog fox.
Ant:3) N-COUNT (disapproval) If someone calls a man a dog, they strongly disapprove of him.4) N-COUNT (disapproval) People use dog to refer to something that they consider unsatisfactory or of poor quality. [AM, INFORMAL]It's a real dog.
5) N-COUNT (disapproval) If someone, especially a man, calls a woman or girl a dog, they mean that she is very ugly, unattractive, or boring. [INFORMAL, OFFENSIVE]How can you go out with her? She's a real dog.
6) VERB If problems or injuries dog you, they are with you all the time.[V n] The problems that have dogged him all year are just a temporary setback...
[V n] His career has been dogged by bad luck.
7) N-PLURAL: the N The dogs is a sports meeting where dogs, especially greyhounds, race and people bet on which dog will win. [BRIT, INFORMAL]8) → See also , guide dog, , sniffer dog9) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v (disapproval) You describe something as a dog's breakfast or dog's dinner in order to express your disapproval of it, for example because it is very untidy, badly organized, or badly done. [BRIT, INFORMAL]The whole place was a bit of a dog's dinner, really...
Our own Board are going to make a dog's breakfast out of it if we aren't careful.
Syn:10) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR n (disapproval) You use dog eat dog to express your disapproval of a situation where everyone wants to succeed and is willing to harm other people in order to do so.It is very much dog eat dog out there...
The TV business today is a dog-eat-dog business.
Syn:11) PHRASE: V inflects (disapproval) If you say that something is going to the dogs, you mean that it is becoming weaker and worse in quality.They sit in impotent opposition while the country goes to the dogs.
12) PHRASE: let inflects If someone tells you to let sleeping dogs lie, they are warning you not to disturb or interfere with a situation, because you are likely to cause trouble and problems.Why can't she let sleeping dogs lie?
13) PHRASE: dog inflects If you say `You can't teach an old dog new tricks', you are suggesting that someone is unwilling to try new ways of doing things.
English dictionary. 2008.
