puppy

American  

[puhp-ee] / ˈpʌp i /

noun

plural

puppies

1. a young dog, especially one less than a year old.

2. Fox Hunting. a foxhound that has hunted regularly for less than one season.

3. pup.

4. a presuming, conceited, or empty-headed young man.

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puppy British  

/ ˈpʌpɪ /

noun

1. a young dog; pup

2. informal a brash or conceited young man; pup

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Other Word Forms

• puppydom noun
• puppyhood noun
• puppyish adjective
• puppylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of puppy

First recorded in 1480–90; earlier popi; see origin at puppet, -y ²

Explanation

A puppy is a baby dog. Unless you're more of a cat person, there's nothing cuter than puppies playing together. When a dog is born, it's a puppy. Puppies, like most mammals, start out very small and quickly grow larger — in fact, some puppies' coats change color as they mature, resulting in a fully grown dog that looks completely different. In the fifteenth century, a puppy was specifically "a woman's small pet dog," from the Middle French poupée, "doll or toy."

Example Sentences

When he was a puppy, he attended obedience classes.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Video from inside the animal urgent care shows the tiny puppy sitting outside the entrance and jumping up on the door before staff members spotted it at 4:11 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

They usually took the puppy with them, but on that night they left her at home.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

A Claude-based agent books her airline tickets and hotels, and she recently built another to help with her new German shepherd puppy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Churning up sand, he raced to where the curious puppy was poised to paw at the jellyfish.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• dog
• pup
• whelp