collie

American  

[kol-ee] / ˈkɒl i /

noun

1. one of a breed of dogs having a usually long, black, tan, and white or sable and white coat, raised originally in Scotland for herding sheep.

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collie British  

/ ˈkɒlɪ /

noun

1. any of several silky-coated breeds of dog developed for herding sheep and cattle See Border collie rough collie bearded collie

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Other Word Forms

• collielike adjective

Etymology

Origin of collie

1645–55; perhaps Scots colle coal (in reference to the original coloration of the breed) + -ie; compare Middle English Colle dog's name

Compare meaning

How does collie compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Shetland sheepdog vs. collie

Example Sentences

June Lockhart, the perennial TV mom who consoled her son Timmy and his faithful pet collie in ‘Lassie’ and explained the galaxy to her children in ‘Lost in Space,’ has died.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2025

Runner-Up: I also let Instagram totally inundate me with border collie videos.

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2024

His Palm Dog collar was instead symbolically wrapped around a border collie named Stan that lacked the thespian’s piercing blue eyes.

From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024

At the Oscar nominees luncheon in Beverly Hills, the Border collie from “Anatomy of a Fall” had the stars lining up to meet him.

From New York Times • Feb. 24, 2024

The Labrador would have called it a day and left now, but the terrier was enjoying himself and still eyed the collie speculatively.

From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford