bulldog

[ bool-dawg, -dog ]

noun

1. one of an English breed of medium-sized, short-haired, muscular dogs with prominent, undershot jaws, usually having a white and tan or brindled coat, raised originally for bullbaiting.
2. Informal. a stubbornly persistent person.
3. a short-barreled revolver of large caliber.
4. Metallurgy. slag from a puddling furnace.
5. an assistant to the proctor at Oxford and Cambridge universities.

adjective

1. like or characteristic of a bulldog or of a bulldog's jaws:

   bulldog obstinacy.

verb (used with object)

, bull·dogged, bull·dog·ging.

1. to attack in the manner of a bulldog.
2. Western U.S. to throw (a calf, steer, etc.) to the ground by seizing the horns and twisting the head.

bulldog

/ ˈbʊlˌdɒɡ /

noun

1. a sturdy thickset breed of dog with an undershot jaw, short nose, broad head, and a muscular body
2. (at Oxford University) an official who accompanies the proctors on ceremonial occasions
3. commerce a fixed-interest bond issued in Britain by a foreign borrower

Other Words From

• bulldogged·ness noun
• bulldogger noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bulldog¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; bull ¹ + dog

Example Sentences

Emergency services were called to Bells Lane in Cinderhill, Nottingham, on 1 October where a woman was found with serious injuries and a British bulldog, called Winnie, was later reported missing from a nearby property.

From BBC

McConkey helped Georgia to two national championships, catching five passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns in the Bulldog’s blowout title win over Texas Christian in 2022 in SoFi Stadium.

From Los Angeles Times

Yeah, the Dodgers really did it, and in a manner in which no Dodgers team from Jackie to Bulldog to Kershaw had done before.

From Los Angeles Times

Ash, Contillo’s almost 4-year-old French bulldog, started “breathing very quickly and heavily, with noticeable anxiety,” the lawsuit states.

From Los Angeles Times

Megan Moroney’s first hit song chronicled a journey that this Georgia native never thought she’d take: In “Tennessee Orange,” which reached No. 1 on country radio last year, she’s a proud UGA Bulldog who’s had the misfortune to fall for a nice guy from Knoxville — fallen so deeply, in fact, that she wears the colors of her alma mater’s archrival Volunteers to take in a football game behind enemy lines.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• community
• daily
• journal
• magazine
• paper
• periodical
• press
• tabloid
• weekly