Dog

• dog [countable]
• 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.
• a pack of stray dogs
• What breed of dog is she?
• 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 Englishinformal 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

  feet

   dogs

   [plural] American English informal feet:
• Boy, my dogs really hurt.
• 14

  poor quality

  American English informal something that is of very poor quality
• 15

   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
• 16

   be the dog's bollocks

  British English informal a very rude expression used to say that something is very good
• 17

   the dogs

  British English informal a sports event consisting of a series of races for dogs
• 18

   put on the dog

  American English old-fashioned to pretend to be richer, more clever etc than you really are

• ➔ the hair of the dog

   at hair (13), shaggy dog story

   ; ➔ as sick as a dog

   at sick1 (1)

   ; ➔ let sleeping dogs lie

   at sleep1(6)

   ; ➔ the tail wagging the dog

   at tail1 (11), top dog

   ; ➔ treat someone like a dog

   at treat1 (1)

Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.