house-dog

A house-dog sleeps on the porch in the afternoon sun.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A dog kept to guard a house: "house-dog" refers to a dog that is primarily kept for the purpose of protecting a home or property, often by barking at strangers or intruders.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The family's house-dog barked loudly when the delivery man approached the door. (A dog kept to warn of visitors or protect the house.)
  • A well-trained house-dog can deter burglars without being aggressive. (A dog used for home security.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be a house-dog": to act as a loyal guardian or protector of a home.
  • Old Max was more than a pet; he was a faithful house-dog who never let anyone near the garden shed. (He served as a protective animal for the house.)

Variants and Related Words

• House-dog (n): the standard spelling; sometimes written as "house dog" (two words) with the same meaning.

  • They adopted a large breed as their house dog. (A dog kept inside the home for protection or companionship.)

• Watchdog (n): a dog kept to guard property, often with a focus on alerting owners to danger.

  • The watchdog barked at every sound in the night. (A dog trained to guard and warn.)

Synonyms

• Guard dog: a dog trained to protect property or people.
• Watchdog: a dog that keeps watch over a place.

Related Idioms

• "Every dog has its day": while not directly about house-dogs, this idiom means everyone gets a chance to succeed or be noticed eventually.

  • Even the quiet house-dog had its day when it scared away a thief. (Even a humble guardian can have a moment of glory.)

• "Let sleeping dogs lie": to avoid interfering in a situation that is currently stable.

  • The house-dog was napping, so we decided to let sleeping dogs lie and not disturb it. (We avoided causing trouble by leaving it alone.)