lapdog
Americannoun
-
a small pet dog that can easily be held in the lap.
-
a person or group that submits to the influence of another; a servile follower.
Regulatory agencies are supposed to be watchdogs, but some have become lapdogs of the industries they oversee.
noun
-
a pet dog small and docile enough to be cuddled in the lap
-
informal a person who attaches himself to someone in admiration or infatuation
Etymology
Origin of lapdog
First recorded in 1635–45; lap 1 + dog ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I know they think I’m a pliant little lapdog,” Martin tells Richard, “but I despise them as much as they despise the rest of us for not being them.”
He's not a lapdog that comes running every time they whistle.
From BBC
The republic’s consuls and other officers became Augustus’ lapdogs, but he preserved their venerable offices and titles “with anxious care,” seeming to consult them and massaging their vanity.
From Salon
Woike: The portrayal of Blake Griffin seems way off to me — someone who I never viewed as a selfish teammate or as a Sterling lapdog.
From Los Angeles Times
On several occasions she had a little lapdog with her — I can’t remember the breed — and periodically, if it appeared to be causing trouble, she’d pick it up and hold it.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
