ENGLISH
REFERENCE

work like a dog

idiom
Meaning

To work very hard.


Examples
SIMPLE

He works like a dog to pay his bills.

CONTEXTUAL

She has been working like a dog all week to finish the project before the deadline.

COMPLEX

Despite his exhaustion, he continued to work like a dog, driven by the belief that his dedication would eventually secure the promotion he desperately needed.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    and the like

    And other similar items; et cetera.

  2. 02

    be like

    To say.

  3. 03

    built like a brick outhouse

    Synonym of built like a brick shithouse.

  4. 04

    built like a brick shipyard

    Synonym of built like a brick shithouse.

  5. 05

    built like a brick shithouse

    Of a man, having a muscular body, particularly with well-developed muscles of the chest, arms and abdominals.

  6. 06

    busy work

    Work or activity performed with the intention or result of occupying time, and not necessarily to accomplish something productive; routine work of low priority undertaken for the sake of avoiding idleness.

  7. 07

    buy a dog and bark oneself

    To do something that one has hired someone else to do.

  8. 08

    call off the dogs

    To ease up on after inflicting great punishment.

Last updated April 17, 2026