pooch

1 of 2

noun

ˈpüch 

plural pooches

informal

: dog

a cute pooch

Before the abusive letters pour in …, may I state that I am very fond of dogs. Loyal, obedient, housetrained pooches are a pleasure to rub noses with.

—Romany Bain

pooch

2 of 2

verb

pooched; pooching; pooches

intransitive verb

chiefly dialectal

: bulge

Phrases

screw the pooch

US slang

: to botch an activity or undertaking : screw up

He's a little cocky, but he's not about to screw the pooch.

—Douglas M. Bailey

Such is life. Sometimes you score big, and sometimes you screw the pooch.

—Greg Jerrett

Synonyms

Noun

• canine
• dog
• doggy
• doggie
• hound
• tyke
• tike

Verb

• bag
• balloon
• beetle
• belly
• billow
• bulge
• bunch
• jut
• overhang
• poke
• pouch
• pout
• project
• protrude
• stand out
• start
• stick out
• swell

Examples of pooch in a Sentence

Noun

What a cute little pooch!

walking down the street with several pooches on leashes

Verb

his lower lip pooched out in disappointment

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Another video, posted by Egypt’s tourism agency, showed a similar-looking pooch descending a pyramid. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024

In October 1990, Will Smith was busy filming The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with guest star Kadeem Hardison while Patti Lupone shared a scene with a pack of pooches on the set of Life Goes On. —John Russell, People.com, 17 Oct. 2024

And earlier in the day, the Lindas paid their respects at the grave of Toto, the heroic pooch from The Wizard of Oz. —Steve Appleford, SPIN, 17 Oct. 2024

So this sweet pooch then became a temporary member of the WFOR news team. —Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

Verb

alteration of pouch entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1908, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1923, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pooch

• screw the pooch

Kids Definition

pooch

noun

ˈpüch

informal

: dog entry 1 sense 1a