Illustration of terrier
: any of various usually small energetic dogs originally used by hunters to dig for small game and engage the quarry underground or drive it out
Examples of terrier in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Animal services removed the dog for safety reasons, and further investigation led to the discovery of 47 Rottweilers, one mixed-breed terrier and one cat living in unsanitary conditions, police said.
—
Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2025
Gina is moving into a beautiful home and has gained two fur siblings: a rat terrier and a poodle.
—Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 1 Feb. 2025
Other breeds in the terrier group are the bull terrier, Scottish terrier, and West Highland white terrier.
—Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 7 Feb. 2025
Group judging in the sporting, working and terrier categories is Feb. 11.
—Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 24 Dec. 2024
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Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2025
Gina is moving into a beautiful home and has gained two fur siblings: a rat terrier and a poodle.
—Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 1 Feb. 2025
Other breeds in the terrier group are the bull terrier, Scottish terrier, and West Highland white terrier.
—Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 7 Feb. 2025
Group judging in the sporting, working and terrier categories is Feb. 11.
—Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 24 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for terrier
Cite this Entry
“Terrier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrier. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
terrier
noun
ter·ri·er
ˈter-ē-ər 
: any of various usually small energetic dogs originally used by hunters to drive game animals from their holes
Etymology
Middle English terryer "a small dog used for hunting burrowing animals," from early French (chen) terrer, literally "earth dog," from terre "earth," derived from Latin terra (same meaning)
Word Origin
Today most terriers are kept as pets. However, there was a time when the dogs were widely used for hunting. Terriers are usually small dogs with short legs, and they were used to dig game animals such as foxes, badgers, and weasels out of their holes. The dogs were also trained to go into a hole after a game animal and drive it out. The French name for these dogs was chen terrer, meaning "earth dog." English borrowed only the word terrier, which can be traced back to Latin terra, meaning "earth."
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