as in shark
one who makes harsh, personal attacks against opponents
his reputation as a political attack dog earned him the vice presidential spot on the ticket
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Recent Examples of attack dog
Alex Jennings is no longer quietly terrifying so much as an attack dog taken off his leash, and his is one of the best performances in the series.
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Jack King, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2024
At the same time, Republicans recognized Vance's willingness to serve as Trump's attack dog against Harris and go toe-to-toe with adversaries.
—Sam Woodward, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
Vance stepped out of his role as former President Trump's campaign trail attack dog.
—Erin Doherty, Axios, 2 Oct. 2024
The speech reflected his role in the campaign: an attack dog deployed most often to the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, where the campaign believes its apostate of elite culture connects with the white working-class voters who may decide the election.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for attack dog 
Jack King, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2024
At the same time, Republicans recognized Vance's willingness to serve as Trump's attack dog against Harris and go toe-to-toe with adversaries.
—Sam Woodward, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
Vance stepped out of his role as former President Trump's campaign trail attack dog.
—Erin Doherty, Axios, 2 Oct. 2024
The speech reflected his role in the campaign: an attack dog deployed most often to the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, where the campaign believes its apostate of elite culture connects with the white working-class voters who may decide the election.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for attack dog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attack dog
Noun
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Taxonomic charts on the walls borrow the aesthetic of science but are populated with terms from the history of art and absurd twists: a bird is labeled with the names of 20th-century avant-garde movements, a shark is juxtaposed with a rolling pin and a cola bottle.Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 10 Jan. 2025
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Unless Jordan got eaten by a shark or something like that, there was no catching him — and even the shark would've probably had a tough time catching him.Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Social media platforms were a critical battleground during the campaign, with political mudslingers waging cyberwar with few legal constraints after the government failed to act on calls for a new law to protect democracy in the internet age.Washington Post, Washington Post, 12 Dec. 2019
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In 2010, when the group launched ahead of Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, Brock had imposed a set of self-regulations on the staff that would cultivate an air of respectability for the mudslingers.Gabriel Debenedetti, Daily Intelligencer, 20 May 2018
Noun
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Today there are two main types of lobbyists in Springfield: those who work exclusively for a single corporation or interest group — the state’s manufacturers or retailers, for instance — and those who contract with a variety of clients, essentially hired guns for anyone willing to pay.Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 17 Nov. 2024
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Every four years, ambitious consultants and hired guns sit down with aspiring presidents and sell them a lie.Philip Elliott, Time, 17 Aug. 2023
Noun
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Merchant is accused of trying to hire a hit man as part of a multiphase plot culminating in August or September.John Annese, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2025
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The boldness of the plot was a dark reflection of India’s rising economic weight in the West, despite the farcical denouement: An American informant had unwittingly been hired as a hit man.Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Vladimir Zhirinovsky, another of President Vladimir Putin’s hatchet men, advised Americans to vote for Donald Trump or risk being dragged into a nuclear war.Mitchell A. Orenstein, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2016
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In the twenty-tens, the brothers took up solo careers; Malice converted to Christianity (becoming No Malice), as Pusha T became a hatchet man for Kanye West.The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2023
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Cite this Entry
“Attack dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attack%20dog. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
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