puppy

PUP-ee/ˈpʌpi/

7 meanings of puppy

1
young dognouncountable
A young dog that is not yet fully grown.
Like a human baby, but for dogs: small, playful, and still learning.
The puppy chewed through two pairs of shoes this week.
Our new puppy still whimpers at night.
Similarpup, whelp
Note
2
any dognouncountable
A dog that looks young, or sometimes just any dog at all.
Like calling someone 'kid' even when they're already grown up.
This puppy is fifteen years old, but she still plays all day.
He affectionately calls every dog he meets a puppy.
Similardog, pup
3
any objectnouncolloquialcountable
An informal name for some object, often one that is annoying or hard to handle.
Like calling a gadget 'this thing' when you don't know its name.
Just hook this puppy up to the battery and you're done.
I can't get this puppy to start, so I'm calling a mechanic.
UsageUsually said as this puppy about a thing.
Similarthing, sucker, beast

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of puppy apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from an older word meaning a woman's pet dog. It probably came from an Old French word meaning a doll or puppet.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Puppy comes from an older word meaning a woman's pet dog. en.wiktionary.org
Its probable source is an Old French word meaning a doll or puppet. en.wiktionary.org