terrier meaning

Definition of terrier

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

   Type of: hunting dog

   Kinds: bullterrier, Bedlington terrier, Border terrier, Kerry blue terrier, Irish terrier, Norfolk terrier, Norwich terrier, Yorkshire terrier, rat terrier, fox terrier, wirehair, Airedale

terrier in a sentence

• His attitude was that of the terrier to the perambulating cat.
• She lives in the suburbs with her rat terrier and two children.
• The Cairn terrier is a relatively small dog, with Scottish origins.
• She entered her terrier in a dog show.

How to pronounce terrier

terrier is pronounced /ˈtɛrɪə/ in British English and /ˈtɛriɚ/ in American English. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.

Words that rhyme with terrier

• farrier
• harrier