puppy
nounverbcommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈpʌpi//
- United Kingdom/[ˈpʰɐpi]/
A young dog, especially before sexual maturity (12–18 months).
noun
- 1
A young dog, especially before sexual maturity (12–18 months).
- 2
A young rat.
- 3
A young seal.
- 4
A dog with a youthful appearance, or any dog.
- 5
slangA woman’s breast.
Unclasp your bra and set those puppies free.
- 6
informalA (generic) thing; particularly something that is a nuisance; a sucker.
I have another two dozen of these puppies to finish before I can go home.
- 7
datedA conceited and impertinent person, especially a young man.
I found my place taken by an ill-bred, awkward puppy with a money bag under each arm.
I ne'r vvith VVits and VVitlings paſt my days, / To ſpread about the Itch of Verſe and Praiſe, / Nor like a Puppy daggled thro' the Tovvn, / To fetch and carry Sing-ſong up and dovvn; […]
I think him a very handsome young man, and his manners are precisely what I like and approve—so truly the gentleman, without the least conceit or puppyism. You must know I have a vast dislike to puppies—quite a horror of them.
Etymology
From earlier puppie (“a woman's pet dog”), of uncertain origin, but probably from Middle English *puppee, *poupee, from Old French poupée, popée (“a doll; puppet”). More at puppet. Mostly displaced native Middle English whelp (“puppy”), from Old English hwelp, whence Modern English whelp and whelpie.
verb
- 1
To bring forth whelps or give birth to pups.
Forms
- plural
- puppies
- past tense
- puppied
- past participle
- puppied
- present participle
- puppying
- third person singular
- puppies
puppy · A young dog, especially before sexual maturity (12–18 months).
purchase · The acquisition of title to, or property in, anything for a…Purchase · A surname.purchasing · An act or process of making a purchase.