Definition

Noun: 1. A type of dog bred and trained to find and bring back shot game: A retriever is a dog belonging to a breed characterized by a soft mouth for carrying game without damaging it, a strong instinct to fetch, and often a water-resistant coat. They are a category of gun dogs used in hunting. 2. A person or thing that retrieves something: In a broader, less common sense, a retriever can refer to anyone or anything that recovers or fetches something.

Usage

The word "retriever" is most commonly used as a countable noun to refer to specific breeds of dogs, such as the Labrador Retriever or Golden Retriever. It is typically preceded by a breed name or used alone when the breed is clear from context.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The hunter sent his retriever to fetch the downed duck from the pond.
  • Labrador Retrievers are popular family pets because of their friendly and obedient nature.
  • She is training her young retriever to follow basic commands.

Advanced Usage

• "To have a memory like a retriever": An informal idiom suggesting someone has an excellent memory, able to recall information easily, analogous to a dog's ability to find and bring back objects.
  • Ask Sarah for the client's number; she has a memory like a retriever.

Variants and Related Words

• Retrieve (verb): To get or bring something back; to recover.
  • The dog was trained to retrieve the ball.
• Retrieval (noun): The process of getting something back.
  • The retrieval of the data from the damaged disk was successful.

Synonyms

• Gun dog: A dog trained to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game.
• Bird dog: A type of gun dog specifically used for hunting birds.

Different Meanings

1. Primary Meaning (Canine): Refers specifically to breeds of dogs developed for retrieving game.
2. Secondary Meaning (General): Can refer to any agent or mechanism that recovers something (e.g., a data retriever, a ball retriever for a pool). This usage is technical or metaphorical.

Noun

1. a dog with heavy water-resistant coat that can be trained to retrieve game