Definitions

prairie dog

 Play prairie dog
any of a genus (Cynomys, family Sciuridae) of small, burrowing rodents of North America, having a barking cry and living in colonies

prairie dog

noun

Any of several burrowing rodents of the genus Cynomys, having light brown fur and a warning call that sounds similar to a dog's bark. Prairie dogs lives in large colonies, chiefly in the Great Plains of North America.

prairie-dog

Noun

(plural prairie dogs)

  1. A small, stout-bodied burrowing rodent with shallow cheek pouches, native to North America and Central America.
Origin

prairie + dog

Verb

(third-person singular simple present prairie dogs, present participle prairie dogging, simple past and past participle prairie dogged)

  1. (intransitive) To pop up from a hole or similar in a manner that resembles the way a prairie dog pops his head up from his burrow.
    Veronica in accounting is always prairie dogging from her desk whenever that new hunk from marketing walks by.
  2. (slang, euphemistic) To struggle to hold back an involuntary bowel movement.
Origin

By analogy with how the animal pops its head up from its burrow.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present prairie-dogs, present participle prairie-dogging, simple past and past participle prairie-dogged)

  1. Alternative form of prairie dog.

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  • prairie dog

Words near prairie dog in the dictionary


  • prairie chicken
  • prairie-chicken
  • prairie-clover
  • prairie-clovers
  • prairie dog
  • prairie-dogged
  • prairie dogging
  • prairie-dogging
  • prairie-doggings
  • prairie-dogs

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