plural dawgs
1
used as a facetious spelling of dog in various senses
in the dawg house
hamburgers and dawgs with all the fixings
… the recent spat between Felicity's friend Elena … and her two-timin' dawg of a boyfriend …Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 1999
2
slang : man, buddy, dude
used especially as a familiar form of address
It'll make you a lot stronger, spendin' your summers harvestin' watermelons with crackheads at $20 a truckload, hiding your money from them at night. That was the highest-paying job I had before my $49 million one with the Colts, and it helped shape me, dawg.Edgerrin James, ESPN, 4 Sept. 2000

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dawg was in 1898

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Dictionary Entries Near dawg

Cite this Entry

“Dawg.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dawg. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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