dawg

[ dawg, dog ]

noun

, Slang.

1. an informal, playful spelling of dog:

   Their doormat says, “Welcome to the dawg pound.”

   I’d let that sleeping dawg lie if I were you.

2. guy; man; fellow; buddy (also used as a term of address):

   I don’t think so, dawg, but that’s just my opinion.

   You lucky dawg, you!

Word History and Origins

Origin of dawg¹

First recorded in 1845–50, as a dialectal variant of dog ( def ); 1930–35 dawg fordef 1; 2000–05 dawg fordef 2

Example Sentences

By the time Doechii brought out SZA to perform the remix of “Persuasive” on Saturday afternoon, one of the darlings of L.A. hip-hop label Top Dawg Entertainment already had a tight grip on her audience.

From Los Angeles Times

“Londynn’s just a dawg,” Dugalić said.

From Los Angeles Times

After the game against the Vikings, he told Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson he was a “dawg.”

From Los Angeles Times

Said Ja’Kobi Lane, who caught 105 yards worth of passes for two touchdowns: “He’s a dawg. And he played like it.”

From Los Angeles Times

“When they showed up, it made me realize that we got a good team this year, dawg, for them to put their life on the line. It was amazing to see.”

From Los Angeles Times