bulldog

American  

[bool-dawg, -dog] / ˈbʊlˌdɔg, -ˌdɒg /

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.

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adjective

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

   bulldog obstinacy.

verb (used with object)

bulldogged, bulldogging

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 British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• bulldoggedness noun
• bulldogger noun

Etymology

Origin of bulldog

First recorded in 1490–1500; bull ¹ + dog

Example Sentences

Play, a four-year-old French bulldog, waddled down the street in Noho.

From The Wall Street Journal

Her own kids often ran across to the neighbors for snacks or to visit their favorite bulldog.

From Los Angeles Times

You got some of the biggest bulldogs in Congress on the R and D side all working on this.

From The Wall Street Journal

“God, it’s been so much fun,” she says as her French bulldog, Banksy, yips at her feet.

From Los Angeles Times

A supervisor who oversaw Lloyd at Internal Affairs — and requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media — described him as smart, meticulous and “a bulldog.”

From Los Angeles Times

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