Library / English Dictionary

BULLDOG

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: bulldogging   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A sturdy thickset short-haired breed with a large head and strong undershot lower jaw; developed originally in England for bull baiting

Synonyms:

bulldog; English bulldog

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("bulldog" is a kind of...):

working dog (any of several breeds of usually large powerful dogs bred to work as draft animals and guard and guide dogs)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bulldog"):

French bulldog (small stocky version of the bulldog having a sleek coat and square head)

Derivation:

bulldog (attack viciously and ferociously)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Throw a steer by seizing the horns and twisting the neck, as in a rodeo

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "bulldog" is one way to...):

get over; master; overcome; subdue; surmount (get on top of; deal with successfully)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Attack viciously and ferociously

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "bulldog" is one way to...):

assail; assault; attack; set on (attack someone physically or emotionally)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

bulldog (a sturdy thickset short-haired breed with a large head and strong undershot lower jaw; developed originally in England for bull baiting)

Credits

 Context examples: 

A shock of orange hair, a pale face disfigured by a horrible scar, which, by its contraction, has turned up the outer edge of his upper lip, a bulldog chin, and a pair of very penetrating dark eyes, which present a singular contrast to the colour of his hair, all mark him out from amid the common crowd of mendicants and so, too, does his wit, for he is ever ready with a reply to any piece of chaff which may be thrown at him by the passers-by.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Sometimes, too, when he frightens me, it seems that he is a bulldog I have taken for a plaything, like some of the 'frat' girls, and he is tugging hard, and showing his teeth, and threatening to break loose.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)