Phrase guide

bulldog edition

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The earliest edition of a periodical publication, especially a daily newspaper.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US

Topics: journalism, media, newspapers, publishing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Uncertain. One popular theory is that competition mainly drove the term; publishers "fought like bulldogs" to "get out editions that would catch the mails going out of town." Another theory suggests that it comes from the nautical term dogwatch (“evening shift”), as printers had to work late in the evening to put out an early edition for the morning paper. Numerous other theories have been proposed.