Nearby Words

watchdog

[woch-dawg, -dog]

watch·dog

[woch-dawg, -dog] noun, adjective, verb, -dogged, -dog·ging.
noun
1.
a dog kept to guard property.
2.
a watchful guardian: a self-appointed watchdog of the public morals.
adjective
3.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a watchdog.
4.
organized or functioning as a watchful guardian, especially against illegal or unethical conduct: a watchdog group in the legislature.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Watchdog is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
to bark; yelp.
verb (used with object)
5.
to watch carefully, especially so as to detect illegal or unethical conduct.

Origin:
1600–10; watch + dog
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To watchdog
Collins
World English Dictionary
watchdog (ˈwɒtʃˌdɒɡ)
 
n
1.  a dog kept to guard property
2.  a.  a person or group of persons that acts as a protector or guardian against inefficiency, illegal practices, etc
 b.  (as modifier): a watchdog committee

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature