terrier

/ˈtɛriər/

/ˈtɛriə/

Other forms: terriers

A terrier is a type of dog. Terriers are usually brave, strong, small dogs with wiry coats. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's dog Toto is a terrier.

Most terriers have short, muscular bodies. There is a lot of variety in the terrier group, though—from fuzzy, 70-pound Airedale terriers to smooth-coated, 25-pound Boston terriers. Terriers were originally bred to hunt small animals like rats and foxes. Terrier comes from the Old French chien terrier, or "earth dog," a reference to the terrier's willingness to follow its prey into underground burrows if necessary.

Definitions of terrier

1. noun

   any of several usually small short-bodied breeds originally trained to hunt animals living underground
   types:

   bull terrier, bullterrier

   a powerful short-haired terrier originated in England by crossing the bulldog with terriers

   Bedlington terrier

   a light terrier groomed to resemble a lamb

   Border terrier

   small rough-coated terrier of British origin

   Kerry blue terrier

   an Irish breed of medium-sized terriers with a silky blue-grey coat

   Irish terrier

   medium-sized breed with a wiry brown coat; developed in Ireland

   Norfolk terrier

   English breed of small terrier with a straight wiry grizzled coat and dropped ears

   Norwich terrier

   English breed of small short-legged terrier with a straight wiry red or grey or black-and-tan coat and erect ears

   Yorkshire terrier

   very small breed having a long glossy coat of bluish-grey and tan

   rat terrier, ratter

   any of several breeds of terrier developed to catch rats

   fox terrier

   small lively black-and-white terriers formerly used to dig out foxes

   wire-haired terrier, wirehair, wirehaired terrier

   a terrier with wiry hair

   Airedale, Airedale terrier

   breed of large wiry-coated terrier bred in Yorkshire

   cairn, cairn terrier

   small rough-haired breed of terrier from Scotland

   Australian terrier

   small greyish wire-haired breed of terrier from Australia similar to the cairn

   Dandie Dinmont, Dandie Dinmont terrier

   a breed of small terrier with long wiry coat and drooping ears

   Boston bull, Boston terrier

   small pug-faced American terrier breed having a smooth brindle or black coat with white markings

   schnauzer

   old German breed of sturdy black or greyish wire-haired terriers having a blunt muzzle ranging in size from fairly small to very large; used as ratters and guard dogs or police dogs

   Scotch terrier, Scottie, Scottish terrier

   old Scottish breed of small long-haired usually black terrier with erect tail and ears

   Tibetan terrier, chrysanthemum dog

   breed of medium-sized terriers bred in Tibet resembling Old English sheepdogs with fluffy curled tails

   Sydney silky, silky terrier

   Australian breed of toy dogs having a silky blue coat

   Skye terrier

   Scottish breed of terrier with shaggy hair and long low body with short legs; native to the Isle of Skye

   soft-coated wheaten terrier

   Irish breed of medium-sized terrier with an abundant coat any shade of wheat and very hairy head and muzzle

   West Highland white terrier

   small white long-coated terrier developed in Scotland

   Lhasa, Lhasa apso

   a breed of terrier having a long heavy coat raised in Tibet as watchdogs

   Staffordshire bull terrier, Staffordshire bullterrier

   English breed of strong stocky dog having a broad skull and smooth coat

   American Staffordshire terrier, American pit bull terrier, Staffordshire terrier, pit bull terrier

   American breed of muscular terriers with a short close-lying stiff coat

   Manchester terrier, black-and-tan terrier

   a breed of short-haired rat terrier with a black-and-tan coat that was developed in Manchester, England

   smooth-haired fox terrier

   a fox terrier with smooth hair

   wire-haired fox terrier

   a fox terrier with wiry hair

   Lakeland terrier

   breed of wire-haired terrier originally from the Lake District of England and used for hunting

   Welsh terrier

   wire-haired terrier resembling Airedales but smaller; developed in Wales for hunting

   miniature schnauzer

   a small schnauzer

   giant schnauzer

   a large schnauzer

   standard schnauzer

   a medium-sized schnauzer

   Clydesdale terrier

   selectively bred small Skye terrier with erect ears and a long silky coat

   type of:

   hunting dog

   a dog used in hunting game