dog
dog — noun
1. a domesticated four-legged animal that lives with people and is kept for compani
a domesticated four-legged animal that lives with people and is kept for companionship, protection, herding, or helping those with special needs.
Mira takes her dog for a walk in the park every morning before breakfast.
dog as pet: take + dog + for a walk
The family's dog barked loudly when a stranger approached the front gate.
Lucas trained his dog to help him turn lights on and off.
At the shelter, Charlotte adopted a small brown dog with floppy ears.
Some farmers keep dogs to guard their sheep at night.
文法句型
a dog
the dog
dogs
用法筆記
Can be used for any breed or mixed-breed animal; the term refers to both male and female dogs unless specified otherwise.
2. a man who behaves in a cruel, dishonest, or morally bad way.
a man who behaves in a cruel, dishonest, or morally bad way.
The landlord is a real dog — he raised the rent without fixing any of the broken pipes.
informal insult: a real dog
Amihan called her ex-husband a dirty dog after he lied about the money.
collocation: dirty dog
Mert warned everyone that the new manager was a lazy dog who let others do his work.
Nobody trusted Tanaka after he cheated the team — they all called him a low-down dog.
- gentleman
a man who is polite and honourable
文法句型
a dog
that dog
用法筆記
Often preceded by a negative adjective (dirty, lazy, low-down). Strongly negative; use with caution in polite conversation.
常見錯誤
3. a very offensive term for a person, most often a female, that insults their phys
a very offensive term for a person, most often a female, that insults their physical appearance.
The bully shouted an ugly dog remark at the new student, and the teacher sent him to the office.
offensive register: ugly dog
Caleb's grandmother was hurt when she overheard someone call her an old dog at the market.
Nila's mother was furious when she overheard a neighbour call her a dog behind the apartment wall.
Tunde's sister cried for hours after a classmate called her a dog during lunch.
文法句型
a dog
用法筆記
This is a highly offensive insult, especially when directed at a woman. It condemns the speaker more than the target. Avoid using it entirely.
4. an adult male of certain wild or domestic species, including dogs, foxes, wolves
an adult male of certain wild or domestic species, including dogs, foxes, wolves, and otters.
At the wildlife centre, the zookeeper explained that this fox is a dog and the smaller one is a vixen.
contrast: dog (male fox) vs vixen (female fox)
The dog otter is about a third larger than the female and has a broader head.
Tanvi watched a documentary about wolf packs where the alpha dog led the hunt.
When breeding dogs, breeders often choose a healthy dog with a calm temperament as the father.
文法句型
a dog
the dog
用法筆記
In the context of domestic dogs, the term 'dog' (male) is contrasted with 'bitch' (female). For foxes, 'dog' contrasts with 'vixen'. For otters, 'dog' contrasts with 'bitch' or 'sow'.
5. an informal, often friendly way of referring to a man, usually with an adjective
an informal, often friendly way of referring to a man, usually with an adjective that describes a quality or situation.
Élise smiled and said, "You old dog, I haven't seen you in years!" when she spotted her former classmate.
informal greeting: you old dog
Hao won two free plane tickets in the raffle, and his friends called him a lucky dog.
collocation: lucky dog
When Ignacio sneaked an extra cookie from the jar, his grandmother winked and called him a sly dog.
The old bartender was a cheerful dog who knew everyone's name and their usual drink.
文法句型
a dog
old dog
lucky dog
用法筆記
Almost always occurs with a preceding adjective (lucky, old, jolly, sly, etc.). The tone is friendly or teasing, never insulting. Compare with noun sense 2 (UNPLEASANT MAN) where the adjective is negative.
常見錯誤
6. something that is poorly made, performs badly, or is of disappointing quality.
something that is poorly made, performs badly, or is of disappointing quality.
Sofia bought a cheap camera online, but it turned out to be a real dog — the photos were all blurry.
pattern: a real dog
That movie was a complete dog; the story made no sense and the acting was terrible.
The used car Christopher bought looked fine but was a total dog — it broke down twice in the first week.
Critics called the new phone a dog because its battery lasted only two hours.
文法句型
a dog
that dog
用法筆記
Often preceded by 'real' or 'total' for emphasis. Common in American English for products, films, or vehicles that fail expectations.
dog — verb
1. to follow a person or animal very closely, often in a way that feels annoying, t
to follow a person or animal very closely, often in a way that feels annoying, threatening, or persistent.
A stray cat had been dogging Mira's steps all the way home, hoping for food.
pattern: dog someone's steps
The reporter dogged the politician for three days, waiting outside every building he entered.
A police car dogged the suspicious van along the highway for nearly ten kilometres.
Caleb's little brother dogged him around the house all afternoon, asking to play video games.
The paparazzi dogged the actress every time she tried to go shopping alone.
文法句型
dog + someone
用法筆記
Often carries a negative connotation of unwanted attention or harassment. Stronger and more persistent than 'follow'.
常見錯誤
2. to cause continuous difficulty, worry, or problems for a person, project, or org
to cause continuous difficulty, worry, or problems for a person, project, or organization over a period of time.
Technical problems have dogged the new train system since the day it opened.
abstract subject: technical problems dog + project
A series of injuries dogged the athlete throughout her final season of competition.
The restaurant has been dogged by complaints about slow service for months.
Doubts about the safety of the building dogged the construction company until they fixed the foundation.
文法句型
dog + someone/something
用法筆記
The subject is typically an abstract problem (rumours, doubts, injuries, technical faults), not a person doing the dogging. Frequently appears in news reporting.
常見錯誤
dog — adjective
1. relating to dogs or having qualities associated with dogs, such as loyalty or ke
relating to dogs or having qualities associated with dogs, such as loyalty or keen senses.
The dog food aisle at the supermarket has dozens of different brands for every breed.
compound: dog food
Charlotte bought a new dog bed that has a removable cover for easy washing.
The school's dog training programme teaches students how to care for and handle animals.
Strong dog odour can build up if you do not bathe your pet regularly.
- canine
formal; used in scientific or medical contexts
文法句型
dog + noun
用法筆記
This sense is attributive only — it appears before a noun (dog food, dog breed, dog owner). It is not used predicatively (*This food is dog).
2. describing something that is not genuine, of poor quality, or not functioning as
describing something that is not genuine, of poor quality, or not functioning as it should.
Tunde's cheap night-market watch was a dog — it stopped ticking after one day.
predicative: turned out to be a dog
Critics called the new tablet a dog because the screen cracked during the very first drop test.
pattern: called + noun + a dog
The so-called designer handbag Mira bought was a total dog — the straps broke the first time she used it.
Ari thought he had found a bargain, but the used laptop was a real dog that crashed every ten minutes.
文法句型
a dog
a real dog
a total dog
用法筆記
Very informal and not widely used. The 'inferior' sense is typically used predicatively — 'that phone is a real dog' — rather than as an attributive adjective before a noun. Common in American English for products, films, or vehicles that fail expectations. More formal equivalents include 'substandard', 'shoddy', or 'defective'.
dog — adverb
1. used before certain adjectives to mean 'extremely' or 'completely', emphasising
used before certain adjectives to mean 'extremely' or 'completely', emphasising the state described.
After hiking up the mountain for six hours, Hao was dog-tired and could barely stand.
compound: dog-tired (extremely tired)
The children came home dog-hungry after playing football in the park all afternoon.
The vegetables at the local market were dog cheap — a whole bag of tomatoes cost less than a dollar.
The mountain trail was dog rough, and even experienced hikers struggled to keep their footing.
- completely
neutral; works with many more adjectives
- utterly
formal; strong emphasis
- dead
informal intensifier (dead tired, dead serious)
文法句型
dog + adjective
用法筆記
Only used in a fixed set of constructions. 'Dog-tired' is the most common compound. 'Dog cheap' and 'dog rough' are colloquial adverbial uses preceding an adjective without a hyphen. Does not behave like a normal adverb — it only works before a small set of adjectives describing negative or intense states.