lapdog
noun
lap·dog
| \ ˈlap-ˌdȯg
\
\
Definition of lapdog
1
: a small dog that may be held in the lap
2
: a servile dependent or follower
Examples of lapdog in a Sentence
His coworkers regarded him as the boss's lap dog.
Recent Examples on the Web
Archie spends a majority of the season as Hiram's lapdog, helping him out with various tasks, even aggressively scaring off two other mob bosses who attempt to take out Hiram. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Everything That Happened On "Riverdale" Season 2," 8 Oct. 2018 But in nine days, Macron goes to Washington for the first state visit under Trump’s presidency — and the French leader can’t be seen as Trump’s lapdog. — Washington Post, "European allies France, UK gamble, join Trump against Syria," 14 Apr. 2018 Daily outdoor fun is a way of life for people with retrievers, terriers, spaniels, herding dogs and even plenty of dogs on the small side, who don’t seem to know they are considered part of the lapdog brigade. — Kim Campbell Thornton, sacbee, "Hiking or camping with your dogs? How to keep them safe," 11 July 2018 Inside the houses are palmetto bugs the size of lapdogs. — Sam Sacks, WSJ, "Fiction: Snakes, Landslides & Adventures in Real Estate," 22 June 2018 Good government is about being transparent, and this is the latest instance of those in charge of our children’s safety making no pretense about being slobbering lapdogs for the National Rifle Association. — Dave Hyde, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Hyde: DeVos just the latest in gun-shootings debate to ignore guns | Commentary," 7 June 2018 That so many of our most powerful watchdogs have turned into lapdogs. — Helen Ubiñas, Philly.com, "In defense of being mean | Helen Ubiñas," 30 Apr. 2018 A few weeks ago, President Trump and his Republican lapdogs passed a bill that gives hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks to our wealthiest corporations. — Ben Joravsky, Chicago Reader, "Georgia gun lovers take bold stand against corporate handouts—for all the wrong reasons," 6 Mar. 2018 Duffy jersey Sadie’s been known to wear while still acting like a lapdog? — Vahe Gregorian, kansascity, "Love for dogs has made Danny Duffy another of man's best friends | The Kansas City Star," 1 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lapdog.' 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 lapdog
lapdog
noun
English Language Learners Definition of lapdog
: a dog that is small enough to be held in a person's lap
: a weak person who is controlled by someone else
See the full definition for lapdog in the English Language Learners Dictionary
lapdog
noun
lap·dog
| \ ˈlap-ˌdȯg
\
\
Kids Definition of lapdog
: a dog small enough to be held in a person's lap