attack dog

at·tack dog

A a

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [uh-tak dawg, dog]
- /əˈtæk dɔg, dɒg/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [uh-tak dawg, dog]
- /əˈtæk dɔg, dɒg/

Definitions of attack dog words

noun attack dog a dog trained to attack on command 3
noun attack dog a dog trained to attack on command, as for protection or to aid in the apprehension of criminals. 1
noun attack dog Any dog bred; trained or used for the purpose of attacking a target, either on command or on sight; trained either as a specialized form of police dog or a security force dog. 0
noun attack dog A dog used in dogfighting; a bloodsport. 0
noun attack dog A person who engages in rhetorical attacks on behalf of another. 0

See all 5 definitions of attack dog

Information block about the term

Origin of attack dog

First appearance:

before 1965

One of the 2% newest English words

First recorded in 1965-70

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Attack dog

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Attack dog

attack dog popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 42% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 62% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

attack dog usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for attack dog

noun attack dog

bandog — a ferocious dog, whether by nature or trained as a guard dog
watchdog — a dog kept to guard property.

All 2 Synonyms of attack dog