canine
noun
ca·nine
| \ ËkÄ-ËnÄ«n
, British also Ëka-\
, British also Ëka-\
Definition of canine
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
[ Middle English, from Latin (dens) caninus canine tooth ]
: a conical pointed tooth
especially
: one situated between the lateral incisor and the first premolar â see tooth illustration
canine
adjectiveDefinition of canine (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: of or resembling that of a dog
canine loyalty
2
: of or relating to dogs or to the family (Canidae) including the canids
canine diseases
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Synonyms for canine
Synonyms: Noun
dog, doggy (or doggie), hound, pooch, tyke (also tike)
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Examples of canine in a Sentence
Noun
in the minds of some, the winner of this prestigious dog show has a fair claim to the title of King of the CaninesRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
Three of those patrol canines are assigned to respond with the HCSO SWAT team to some of the most high-stakes situations throughout the county. — Jay R. Jordan, Houston Chronicle, "Meet the police dogs who help keep Harris County safe," 27 Aug. 2019 Thor, who will be a tracking and explosives canine for the sheriffâs office, is a yellow lab and was accompanied by his handler, Deputy Justin Stokes, at a swearing-in ceremony Wednesday. — USA TODAY, "Rocketâs last blast, Alaska drought, million-dollar ham: News from around our 50 states," 23 Aug. 2019 So were hundreds of other canines and their human companions, many of whom posted their thoughts and pictures on the Abington Dog Park Facebook page, which has more than 1,500 members. — Johanna Seltz, BostonGlobe.com, "Lola, Benny, and the gang romp at new Abington Dog Park," 15 Aug. 2019 Scores of splash-happy canines carve waves along the coast in the original surf dog competition, which includes a beer garden, awards ceremony and SurFUR Expo raising funds for the San Diego Humane Society. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "8 things to do this weekend in San Diego: Philippine Cultural Arts Festival, ArtWalk, Imperial Beach Surf Dog," 9 Aug. 2019 The shopper, who was argumentative, said the canine was a service dog. — John Benson, cleveland.com, "Women with warrants caught stealing clothing from Pearl Road store: Strongsville Police Blotter," 3 July 2019 Valorâs veterinarian and the animal control officer who picked up the confused 3-year-old dog believe the sweet canine was the victim of a botched euthanasia attempt. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "Dog Survives Botched Euthanasia, Wakes Up Abandoned and Blind," 15 June 2018 Recently, more restaurants have started catering (literally) to canines via dedicated dog menus that go beyond sneaking table scraps to little Bella. — Allyson Reedy, The Know, "These dog-friendly Colorado restaurants have special menus just for your pup," 7 Aug. 2019 Three months after arriving at the shelter, Lionheart left the Richmond SPCA as a happy, energetic, healthy canine with a forever family. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "Severely Matted Dog that Spent Two Years Living Under a Bed Gets Life-Changing Makeover," 25 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
In other words, not only do the shapes and sizes of canine brains vary by breed, the structures within those brains also are different. — Jason Bittel, Anchorage Daily News, "As humans shaped dogsâ bodies, we also altered their brains," 3 Sep. 2019 Glinda then sends the child to brave the wilds of Oz with nothing more than a canine companion and some flashy footwear. — Pam Grossman, The Atlantic, "The Wizard of Oz Invented the âGood Witchâ," 25 Aug. 2019 This yearâs event also included a canine dock-diving event, and many other different types of entertainment, including bands, a demolition derby, and a truck pull. — Melanie Savage, courant.com, "Lions Host 60th Annual Lebanon Country Fair," 23 Aug. 2019 The stars of the movie â both human and canine â appeared there as well, taking part in Q&As and posing for pictures. — Chris Thilk, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Art of Racing in the Rain' Marketing Bets on Old-Fashioned Charm," 8 Aug. 2019 The canine officer can also help locate missing persons, conduct search warrants and track suspects, Tomba said. — Beth Mlady, cleveland.com, "Middleburg Heights will get first-ever canine police officer," 27 June 2019 Named as defendants, along with Conrad and Hibbs, are officers Kevin Crawford and Gabriel Hellard, who pulled Lea over; canine Officer Jeff McCauley; and Jason McNeil and Kiersten Holman, who also came to the scene. — Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, "Black teen handcuffed after wide turn sues LMPD for eyeing him as 'perfect target'," 12 June 2019 Cats like the saber-tooth, lion, and cougar hunted in forests, while canine species like the dire wolves hunted bison and horses in open fields. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Fossilized teeth of Ice Age predators yield clues to why certain species survived," 6 Aug. 2019 On Instagram on Thursday, the actress shared a photo of herself reuniting with the canine star of the film, who joined his human cast members on the premiereâs red carpet. — Helen Murphy, PEOPLE.com, "Amanda Seyfried Glows in Gorgeous Yellow Gown on The Art of Racing in the Rain Red Carpet," 2 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'canine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for canine
canine
noun
English Language Learners Definition of canine
(Entry 1 of 2)
formal
: a dog
: a pointed tooth
canine
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of canine (Entry 2 of 2)
: of or relating to dogs
See the full definition for canine in the English Language Learners Dictionary
canine
noun
ca·nine
| \ ËkÄ-ËnÄ«n
\
\
Kids Definition of canine
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a pointed tooth next to the incisors
2
: a domestic dog or a related animal (as a wolf or fox)
canine
adjective