Standard Lemma guide

pup

name · noun · verb · 18 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /pʌp/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌp
  • CMU ARPABET: P AH1 P Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

Initialism of Private Use Plane: either of the two Unicode planes (planes 15 and 16) reserved for private use.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism

Qualifier: Unicode

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

name

Meaning 2

A white dwarf star, the secondary star in the binary star system Sirius, Alpha Canis Majoris.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A young dog, wolf, fox, seal, bat or shark, or the young of certain other animals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The dog has had that bed since he was just a pup.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A young, inexperienced person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The new teacher is a mere pup.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Any cute dog, regardless of age.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • My pup likes to run as fast as he can, yet cannot always stop in time!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A short semi-trailer used jointly with a dolly and another semi-trailer to create a twin trailer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A new plant growing from a shoot that can be used for propagation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: agriculture, business, horticulture, lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A kind of small spotlight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: broadcasting, film, media, television

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

An early edition of a periodical publication, intended for distribution to distant locations.

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

10

noun

Meaning 10

Someone who participates in pup play (the sexual practice of role-playing as a young dog).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

Topics: lifestyle, sex, sexuality

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

A small tributary or feeder stream in the US state of Alaska.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: chiefly Alaska

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

Acronym of potentially unwanted program, software that most computer users do not want on their computers, such as adware.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, acronym, alt-of

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

Paid up

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, insurance

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

Prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, microbiology, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

verb

Meaning 15

To give birth to pups.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

16

noun

Meaning 16

young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: whelp

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: young mammal

Narrower terms: puppy

17

noun

Meaning 17

an inexperienced young person

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: puppy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: young person, youth, younker, spring chicken

18

verb

Meaning 18

birth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the dog whelped

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: whelp

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: give birth, deliver, bear, birth, have

History

Etymology

Capitalization of pup. From pups being small dogs. From being a small star next to the Dog Star.

Clipping of puppy.

Across languages

Translations

51 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: جَرْو (jarw) — young dog, etc.
  • Arabic: غَلْو (ḡalw) — young dog, etc.
  • Arabic: هِجْرِس (hijris) — young dog, etc.
  • Asturian: cachorru — young dog, etc.
  • Bengali: কুত্তার বাচ্চা (kuttar bacca) — young dog, etc.
  • Bulgarian: ку́ченце (kúčence) — young dog, etc.
  • Estonian: kutsikas — young dog, etc.
  • Estonian: penikas — young dog, etc.
  • Estonian: koerapoeg — young dog, etc.
  • Estonian: kutsa — young dog, etc.
  • Finnish: pentu — young dog, etc.
  • French: chiot — young dog, etc.
  • Galician: cadelo — young dog, etc.
  • Galician: canciño — young dog, etc.
  • Georgian: ლეკვი (leḳvi) — young dog, etc.
  • German: Welpe — young dog, etc.
  • Hindi: पिल्ला (pillā) — young dog, etc.
  • Italian: cucciolo — young dog, etc.
  • Khmer: កូនឆ្កែ (koun chkae) — young dog, etc.
  • Norwegian Bokmål: valp — young dog, etc.
  • Norwegian Bokmål: selunge — young dog, etc.
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kvalp — young dog, etc.
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kvelp — young dog, etc.
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: selunge — young dog, etc.
  • Portuguese: filhote — young dog, etc.
  • Punjabi: ਕਤੂਰਾ (katūrā) — young dog, etc.
  • Romanian: cățel — young dog, etc.
  • Romanian: cățeluș — young dog, etc.
  • Russian: щено́к (ščenók) — young dog, etc.
  • Telugu: కుక్కపిల్ల (kukkapilla) — young dog, etc.
  • Bulgarian: младо́к (mladók) — young, inexperienced person
  • Estonian: kutsikas — young, inexperienced person
  • Estonian: noor — young, inexperienced person
  • Estonian: junga — young, inexperienced person
  • Romanian: novice — young, inexperienced person
  • Russian: щено́к (ščenók) — young, inexperienced person
  • Bulgarian: ку́ченце (kúčence) — cute dog
  • Estonian: kutsu — cute dog
  • Hungarian: kutyus — cute dog
  • Romanian: cățeluș — cute dog
  • Bulgarian: оку́чвам (okúčvam) — to give birth to pups
  • Bulgarian: оку́ча (okúča) — to give birth to pups
  • Estonian: poegima — to give birth to pups
  • Estonian: pudenema — to give birth to pups
  • Estonian: ilmale tooma — to give birth to pups
  • Estonian: sünnitama — to give birth to pups
  • German: werfen — to give birth to pups
  • German: jungen — to give birth to pups
  • Polish: szczenić — to give birth to pups
  • Romanian: făta — to give birth to pups
  • Russian: щениться (ščenitʹsja) — to give birth to pups