collie

noun

col·​lie ˈkä-lē 

: any of a breed of large dogs developed in Scotland that occur in rough-coated and smooth-coated varieties and have erect ears and a long muzzle

Illustration of collie

Examples of collie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some breeds in the herding group include the border collie, German shepherd Dog, Pembroke Welsh corgi and the Icelandic sheepdog. —Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 7 Feb. 2025

The black and white collie mix was fearful, unused to strangers and unnerved by kennel life, so Chris took his time winning her over. —Alexandra Rockey Fleming, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025

There are four kinds of dogs—a dachshund, a poodle, a Border collie, and a German shepherd, whose head seems to be molting on one side. —Han Ong, The New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2025

Bred to herd livestock, collies are now popular family pets as well as working dogs on farms and in agility competitions. —Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from English dialect colly black

First Known Use

circa 1651, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing collie

• bearded collie
• border collie

Rhymes for collie

• akali
• bengali
• diwali
• loblolly
• naphtali
• nepali
• secale
• somali
• colley
• dolly
• folly
• golly

Kids Definition

collie

noun

col·​lie ˈkäl-ē 

: any of a breed of large dogs developed in Scotland for herding sheep