English Reference
Noun

pooch

n.
B1 Intermediate US /ˈputʃ/ UK /pˈuːtʃ/ pooch UK spelling pooches, pooching

n.a friendly way to say 'dog'. You use this word when you want to sound casual or when talking to someone who owns a pet.

n.a colloquial term for a dog.


CONTEXTUAL

The neighbor's little pooch ran into the yard and started barking at the mailman.


Etymology 1

Of uncertain origin. One (unsubstantiated) conjecture is that the word comes from Putzi, a common German name given to lapdogs. The name Putzi is possibly formed from German Putz + -i, influenced by German putzig (“funny, cute, small”, adjective).

Etymology 2

Probably related to pouch.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B1 · Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated