pup

[ puhp ]

noun

1. a young dog; puppy.
2. the young of certain other animals, as the rat, shark, or fur seal.
3. a small plant developing as an offshoot from a mature plant.

verb (used without object)

, pupped, pup·ping.

1. to give birth to pups.

pup

/ pʌp /

noun

1. 1. a young dog, esp when under one year of age; puppy
   2. the young of various other animals, such as the seal
2. in pup
   (of a bitch) pregnant
3. informal.
   a conceited young man (esp in the phrase young pup )
4. sell someone a pup
   to swindle someone by selling him something worthless
5. the night's a pup slang.
   it's early yet

verb

1. (of dogs, seals, etc) to give birth to (young)

Word History and Origins

Origin of pup¹

First recorded in 1580–90; shortened variant of puppy

Word History and Origins

Origin of pup¹

C18: back formation from puppy

Example Sentences

That’s why watching swearing Aussies fall in love while they care for a scruffy pup with wheel-aided hind legs is the soothing balm our brains need right now.

From Los Angeles Times

She brought her dog Dibs too, only to discover after getting here that the 9-year-old pup has cancer.

From Los Angeles Times

The organization rescues and rehabilitates sea lions and elephant seal pups.

From Los Angeles Times

Nearby, Rhythm jauntily greets some of the show’s producers, who pause their work to pet the charming pup.

From Los Angeles Times

One photo is from June 2022 and shows Walz with his dog Scout, who is a black labrador mix, and is captioned: “Sending a special birthday shoutout to our favorite pup, Scout.”

From Salon

Related Words

• baby
• brood
• child
• cub
• daughter
• descendant
• generation
• heir
• kid
• progeny
• son