Standard Lemma guide

puppy

noun · verb · 10 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.

  • UK, US: /ˈpʌpi/
  • UK, US: [ˈphɐpi]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌpi
  • CMU ARPABET: P AH1 P IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A young dog, especially before sexual maturity (12–18 months).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A young rat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A young seal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A dog with a youthful appearance, or any dog.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A woman’s breast.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural-normally, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A (generic) thing; particularly something that is a nuisance; a sucker.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

  • I have another two dozen of these puppies to finish before I can go home.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A conceited and impertinent person, especially a young man.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, derogatory

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To bring forth whelps or give birth to pups.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

a young dog

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pup, whelp, dog, domestic dog, Canis familiaris

10

noun

Meaning 10

an inexperienced young person

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pup

Antonyms: none provided

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

History

Etymology

From earlier puppie (“a woman's pet dog”), of uncertain origin, but probably from Middle English *puppee, *poupee, from Old French poupée, popée (“a doll; puppet”). More at puppet. Mostly displaced native Middle English whelp (“puppy”), from Old English hwelp, whence Modern English whelp and whelpie.

Across languages

Translations

208 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: hondjie — young dog
  • Southern Altai: кӱчӱк (küčük) — young dog
  • Amharic: ቡችላ (bučla) — young dog
  • Arabic: جَرْو (jarw) — young dog
  • Arabic: كليب (kliyyib) — young dog
  • Arabic: جرو (járo) — young dog
  • Arabic: جرو (járu) — young dog
  • Armenian: լակոտ (lakot) — young dog
  • Armenian: թուլա (tʻula) — young dog
  • Armenian: քոթոթ (kʻotʻotʻ) — young dog
  • Aromanian: cãtsãl — young dog
  • Asturian: perrín — young dog
  • Asturian: cachorru — young dog
  • Avar: таращ (tarašš) — young dog
  • Bashkir: көсөк (kösök) — young dog
  • Basque: txakurkume — young dog
  • Belarusian: шчаню́к (ščanjúk) — young dog
  • Belarusian: шчаня́ (ščanjá) — young dog
  • Belarusian: шчанё (ščanjó) — young dog
  • Belarusian: цю́цька (cjúcʹka) — young dog
  • Bengali: কুত্তার বাচ্চা (kuttar bacca) — young dog
  • Bengali: কুকুরছানা (kukurchana) — young dog
  • Bhojpuri: पिल्ला (pillā) — young dog
  • Central Bikol: ido — young dog
  • Bulgarian: ку́ченце (kúčence) — young dog
  • Bulgarian: па́ле (pále) — young dog
  • Bulgarian: кутре́ (kutré) — young dog
  • Burmese: ခွေးကလေး (hkwe:ka.le:) — young dog
  • Catalan: cadell — young dog
  • Chinese Cantonese: 狗仔 (gau2 zai2) — young dog
  • Chinese Mandarin: 小狗 (xiǎogǒu) — young dog
  • Cornish: kolyn — young dog
  • Montagnais: atimuss — young dog
  • Crimean Tatar: küçelek — young dog
  • Crimean Tatar: boşıq — young dog
  • Czech: štěně — young dog
  • Danish: hvalp — young dog
  • Central Dusun: duku — young dog
  • Dutch: puppy — young dog
  • Esperanto: hundido — young dog
  • Esperanto: hundidino — young dog
  • Estonian: kutsikas — young dog
  • Even: качикан (kacikan) — young dog
  • Finnish: pentu — young dog
  • Finnish: penikka — young dog
  • Finnish: koiranpentu — young dog
  • French: chiot — young dog
  • Friulian: nassint — young dog
  • Gagauz: pali — young dog
  • Galician: cachorro — young dog
  • Galician: cadelo — young dog
  • Gallurese: catteddu — young dog
  • Georgian: ლეკვი (leḳvi) — young dog
  • German: Welpe — young dog
  • German: Hündchen — young dog
  • German: Hundewelpe — young dog
  • German: junger Hund — young dog
  • German: Hundebaby — young dog
  • Greek: κουτάβι (koutávi) — young dog
  • Ancient Greek: κῠνίδιον (kŭnídion) — young dog
  • Ancient Greek: σκύλαξ (skúlax) — young dog
  • Greenlandic: qimmiaraq — young dog
  • Gujarati: ગલૂડિયું (galūḍiyũ) — young dog
  • Gujarati: કુરકુરિયું (kurkuriyũ) — young dog
  • Hawaiian: ʻīlio keiki — young dog
  • Hebrew: כלבלב — young dog
  • Hebrew: גּוּר (gur) — young dog
  • Hindi: पिल्ला (pillā) — young dog
  • Hungarian: kiskutya — young dog
  • Hungarian: kölyökkutya — young dog
  • Iban: anak chauk — young dog
  • Icelandic: hvolpur — young dog
  • Ido: hundyuno — young dog
  • Ido: hundyunulo — young dog
  • Ido: hundyunino — young dog
  • Ilocano: uken — young dog
  • Indonesian: anak anjing — young dog
  • Irish: coileáinín — young dog
  • Italian: cucciolo — young dog
  • Italian: cagnolino — young dog
  • Italian: cagnetto — young dog
  • Japanese: 子犬 (koinu) — young dog
  • Jarai: nĕng — young dog
  • Javanese: kirik — young dog
  • Kazakh: күшік (küşık) — young dog
  • Khmer: កូនឆ្កែ (koun chkae) — young dog
  • Korean: 강아지 (gang'aji) — young dog
  • Lao: ລູກຫມາ (lūk mā) — young dog
  • Latgalian: kucāns — young dog
  • Latgalian: sunāns — young dog
  • Latin: catulus — young dog
  • Latin: catellus — young dog
  • Latvian: kucēns — young dog
  • Macedonian: кученце (kučence) — young dog
  • Macedonian: кутре (kutre) — young dog
  • Malay: انق انجيڠ — young dog
  • Malay: انق اسو — young dog
  • Malay: کيريق — young dog
  • Malay: anak anjing — young dog
  • Malay: anak asu — young dog
  • Malay: kirik — young dog
  • Maltese: ġeru — young dog
  • Maltese: ġerwa — young dog
  • Manchu: ᠨᡳᠶᠠᡥᠠᠨ (niyahan) — young dog
  • Maranao: tito — young dog
  • Mazanderani: کتکا (kətkâ) — young dog
  • Mi'kmaq: lmu'ji'j — young dog
  • Mi'kmaq: nmu'ji'j — young dog
  • Mongolian: гөлөг (gölög) — young dog
  • Mongolian: нохойн гөлөг (noxojn gölög) — young dog
  • Tagal Murut: kuku — young dog
  • Navajo: łééchąąyázhí — young dog
  • Norwegian Bokmål: valp — young dog
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kvalp — young dog
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kvelp — young dog
  • Occitan: cadèl — young dog
  • Occitan: cadèu — young dog
  • Occitan: gosset — young dog
  • Occitan: canhòt — young dog
  • Occitan: canhon — young dog
  • Old East Slavic: щенѧ (ščenę) — young dog
  • Old English: hwelp — young dog
  • Persian: توله سگ (tule sag) — young dog
  • Polish: szczeniak — young dog
  • Polish: szczenię — young dog
  • Portuguese: filhote de cão — young dog
  • Portuguese: cachorro — young dog
  • Portuguese: cachorrinho — young dog
  • Punjabi: کَتُورا — young dog
  • Punjabi: ਕਤੂਰਾ (katūrā) — young dog
  • Quechua: allqucha — young dog
  • Romani: rikono — young dog
  • Romani: zhukeloro — young dog
  • Romanian: cățel — young dog
  • Romanian: cățeluș — young dog
  • Russian: щено́к (ščenók) — young dog
  • Russian: цу́цик (cúcik) — young dog
  • Russian: кутёнок (kutjónok) — young dog
  • Campidanese Sardinian: catteddu — young dog
  • Campidanese Sardinian: calleddu — young dog
  • Campidanese Sardinian: cacciurru — young dog
  • Sardinian: cacciùcciu — young dog
  • Sardinian: catteddu — young dog
  • Sassarese: catteddu — young dog
  • Sassarese: cucciucciu — young dog
  • Scottish Gaelic: cuilean — young dog
  • Serbo-Croatian: штѐне — young dog
  • Serbo-Croatian: ште́нац — young dog
  • Serbo-Croatian: štène — young dog
  • Serbo-Croatian: šténac — young dog
  • Sicilian: cagnolu — young dog
  • Slovak: šteňa — young dog
  • Slovene: kužek — young dog
  • Slovene: ščene — young dog
  • Lower Sorbian: šćenje — young dog
  • Spanish: cachorro — young dog
  • Spanish: perrito — young dog
  • Swedish: hundvalp — young dog
  • Swedish: valp — young dog
  • Tagalog: tuta — young dog
  • Tamil: நாய்க்குட்டி (nāykkuṭṭi) — young dog
  • Tarifit: aqzin — young dog
  • Telugu: కుక్కపిల్ల (kukkapilla) — young dog
  • Thai: ลูกหมา (lûuk-mǎa) — young dog
  • Tibetan: ཁྱི་ཕྲུག (khyi phrug) — young dog
  • Tibetan: ཨ་ཡོ་འོ (a yo 'o) — young dog
  • Turkish: enik — young dog
  • Turkish: yavru köpek — young dog
  • Turkish: köpek yavrusu — young dog
  • Turkmen: güjük — young dog
  • Ukrainian: цуценя́ (cucenjá) — young dog
  • Ukrainian: щеня́ (ščenjá) — young dog
  • Ukrainian: собача́ (sobačá) — young dog
  • Venetan: cagnol — young dog
  • Vietnamese: chó con — young dog
  • Vietnamese: cún — young dog
  • Vietnamese: cún con — young dog
  • Volapük: dogül — young dog
  • Walloon: tchinot — young dog
  • Walloon: djonne di tchén — young dog
  • Welsh: ci bach — young dog
  • Woiwurrung: boobop yerranginin — young dog
  • Wolof: kuti bi — young dog
  • Yiddish: הינטעלע (hintele) — young dog
  • Esperanto: ratido — young rat
  • French: raton — young rat
  • German: Rattenjunges — young rat
  • Latin: musculus — young rat
  • Occitan: raton — young rat
  • Portuguese: ratinho — young rat
  • Romanian: raton — young rat
  • Swedish: råttunge — young rat
  • Volapük: ratül — young rat
  • Bulgarian: тюленче (tjulenče) — young seal
  • Esperanto: fokido — young seal
  • Esperanto: marhundido — young seal
  • Finnish: kuutti — young seal
  • German: Heuler — young seal
  • German: Robbenbaby — young seal
  • German: Robbenjunges — young seal
  • German: Seehundjunges — young seal
  • Indonesian: anak anjing laut — young seal
  • Latin: phocula — young seal
  • Macedonian: фокиче (fokiče) — young seal
  • Scottish Gaelic: isean — young seal
  • Scottish Gaelic: cuilean — young seal
  • Swedish: kut — young seal
  • Volapük: fukül — young seal
Real reading context

puppy in complete knowledge articles