dog days

plural noun

1

: the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere

2

: a period of stagnation or inactivity

Did you know?

Idle hands may be the devil’s workshop, but let’s be serious: when it’s stiflingly hot outside, who among us isn’t tempted to shirk work to go lie doggo in the shade somewhere? Such is the desire of many a creature—not just dogs (or lexicographers)—during the dog days of summer. If you’re curious how dogs got singled out in this expression, however, you might say it was in the stars. The dog in dog days is the Dog Star, aka Sirius, the star that represents the hound of the hunter Orion in the eponymous constellation. The star has long been associated with sultry weather in the northern hemisphere because it rises simultaneously with the sun during the hottest days of summer.

Examples of dog days in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During the dog days of August, when sports radio is usually obsessing over the upcoming NFL season, hosts debated the Rookie of the Year race between Reese and Clark, who set a new WNBA record for double-doubles (at least 10 points and rebounds) in a season. —Sean Gregory, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024

Lief said the college has no plans to grow its campus boundaries or enrollment, which has held fairly steady at 2,200 students even through the dog days of the pandemic. —Imani Cruzen, Twin Cities, 1 Dec. 2024

Porcelain mug by Rifle Paper, $21.95 Glyph, 212 N. Washington St., Havre de Grace The dog days of summer might be over but embrace pumpkin spice latte season. —Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun, 16 Aug. 2024

The real showstopper, however, is the roof terrace, which comes complete with a pool to cool off in the dog days of summer, and offers views that stretch all the way to St. Peter’s—expect Rome’s next-gen cool crowd to gravitate here once the warmer days of spring roll around in 2024. —Liam Hess, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from their being reckoned from the heliacal rising of the Dog Star (Sirius)

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

dog days

plural noun

: the hot and humid period of summer between early July and early September

Etymology

translation of Latin dies caniculares, from canicula, literally, "little dog," from canis "dog"; so called from the fact that they begin at the time when the Dog Star rises with or near the sun — related to canine

Word Origin

The brightest star in the sky is Sirius, also known as the Dog Star. Sirius was given this name by the ancients because it was considered the hound of the hunter Orion, whose constellation was nearby; Sirius itself is in a constellation now called Canis Major ("larger dog"). The Dog Star was regarded by the ancient Greeks as the bringer of scorching heat, because its early-morning rising coincided with the hottest summer days of July and August. The Greek writer Plutarch called this time hēmerai kynades, literally, "dog days"—the days of the Dog Star—and via Latin this phrase was translated into English as dog days.