Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

pooch

American  
[pooch] / putʃ /

noun

Informal.

  1. a dog.

pooch British  
/ puːtʃ /

noun

  1. a slang word for dog

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pooch

First recorded in 1895–1900; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Avoid using hotel elevators if you can because you never know who—or what other dog—will step in and upset your already travel-stressed pooch.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Who among us wouldn’t want to communicate with our pooch?

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

Cumming’s host persona may not be evil per se, but he is wicked enough for his beloved pooch, Lala, to look absolutely angelic trotting next to him.

From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026

They aren't the only couple who have chosen to include their pooch in their big day, with dogs increasingly seen as a member of the family.

From BBC • Aug. 21, 2025

And considering how screw-the- pooch things were going on the island, he needed something to make him feel safe.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.