I. dog 1 S1 W1 /dɒɡ $ dɒːɡ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: docga ]
1 .
ANIMAL a common animal with four legs, fur, and a tail. Dogs are kept as pets or trained to guard places, find drugs etc ⇨ puppy :
I could hear a dog barking.
He's taken the dog for a walk.
We used to have a dog when I was young.
the most popular breed of dog
2 . MALE ANIMAL a male dog, ↑ fox , or ↑ wolf ⇨ bitch
3 . WOMAN informal not polite an offensive word meaning an unattractive woman
4 . dog eat dog when people compete against each other and will do anything to get what they want:
It’s a dog eat dog world out there.
5 . be going to the dogs informal if a country or organization is going to the dogs, it is getting worse and will be difficult to improve
6 . DISHONEST informal not polite an offensive word for an unpleasant or dishonest man:
You dirty dog!
7 . a dog’s life spoken a life that is difficult and unpleasant, with very little pleasure:
His wife’s a nag who leads him a dog’s life (=makes his life unpleasant) .
8 . make a dog’s breakfast of something British English informal to do something very badly:
The orchestra made a complete dog’s breakfast of the fourth movement.
9 . a dog’s dinner British English informal something that is meant to be impressive or fashionable but that other people think is not:
She was dressed up like a dog’s dinner.
10 . not have a dog’s chance British English informal to have no chance of being successful
11 . every dog has its/his day used to say that even the most unimportant person has a time in their life when they are successful and important
12 . like a dog with two tails British English informal very pleased and happy because something good has happened
13 . a dog in the manger someone who cannot have or does not need something, but does not want anyone else to have it
14 . FEET dogs [plural] American English informal feet:
Boy, my dogs really hurt.
15 . POOR QUALITY American English informal something that is of very poor quality
16 . dog and pony show American English an event that has only been organized so that people can admire it and think that it is impressive, not for any real purpose
17 . be the dog’s bollocks British English informal a very rude expression used to say that something is very good
18 . put on the dog American English old-fashioned to pretend to be richer, more clever etc than you really are
19 . the dogs British English informal a sports event consisting of a series of races for dogs
⇨ the hair of the dog at ↑ hair (13), ⇨ ↑ shaggy dog story , ⇨ as sick as a dog at ↑ sick 1 (1), ⇨ let sleeping dogs lie at ↑ sleep 1 (6), ⇨ the tail wagging the dog at ↑ tail 1 (11), ⇨ ↑ top dog , ⇨ treat someone like a dog at ↑ treat 1 (1)
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have a dog (=keep one as a pet)
We have one dog and two cats.
▪ walk a dog/take a dog for a walk
She loves walking her dogs on the beach.
▪ a dog bites somebody
Their dog had bitten a little girl on the leg.
▪ a dog barks (=makes short loud sounds)
The dog barks every time someone comes to the door.
▪ a dog yaps (=barks – used of small dogs)
A little dog was yapping at her heels.
▪ a dog growls (=makes a long deep angry sound)
The dog growled at me as I walked towards it.
▪ a dog snarls (=shows its teeth and makes an angry sound)
When a dog snarls, it is threatening attack.
▪ a dog whines (=makes a long high sound because it is unhappy or in pain)
I could hear the dogs whining outside the door.
▪ a dog howls (=makes a long loud sound like a wolf)
We knew something was wrong because the dogs were howling.
▪ a dog pants (=breathes quickly usually with its tongue hanging out)
The dog was panting heavily beside her.
▪ a dog wags its tail (=moves its tail from side to side to show pleasure)
The dog stood up and wagged his tail.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + dog
▪ a pet dog (=that you keep in your house)
Some owners give their pet dogs too much food.
▪ a family dog (=that belongs to a family)
Labradors make a great family dog.
▪ a wild dog
Packs of wild dogs roamed the countryside.
▪ a stray dog (=a pet dog that is lost)
He was always bringing home stray dogs.
▪ a guide dog (=trained to guide a blind person)
No dogs except guide dogs are allowed in the store.
▪ a guard dog (=trained to guard a building)
The guard dog growled at him.
▪ a police dog (=trained to help the police)
Police dogs helped in the search for the missing child.
▪ a sniffer dog British English (=trained to find drugs or bombs)
Police and sniffer dogs have become a regular presence at the airport.
■ dog + NOUN
▪ dog food
a can of dog food
▪ a dog owner
Dog owners must be responsible for controlling their animals.
▪ a dog lover (=someone who loves dogs)
Britain is a nation of dog lovers.
▪ a dog handler (=someone whose job is training and working with dogs)
Dog handlers decided that the dog was dangerous and should be shot.
▪ a dog show (=competition for the best dog)
Crufts is the largest dog show in the world.
■ phrases
▪ a breed of dog (=a type of dog)
It is one of the most fashionable breeds of dog.
▪ a pack of dogs (=a group of wild dogs or stray dogs)
There are packs of wild dogs in the mountains.
▪ Good dog! (=said to a dog when it obeys you)
Sit! Good dog!
▪ Beware of the dog! (=a sign warning people that there is a dog inside a place)
There was a sign on the gate saying 'Beware of the dog!'.
II. dog 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle dogged , present participle dogging ) [transitive]
1 . if a problem or bad luck dogs you, it causes trouble for a long time:
He has been dogged by injury all season.
2 . to follow close behind someone