dog days

plural noun

1

: the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere

2

: a period of stagnation or inactivity

Did you know?

Idle hands may be the devil’s workshop, but let’s be serious: when it’s stiflingly hot outside, who among us isn’t tempted to shirk work to go lie doggo in the shade somewhere? Such is the desire of many a creature—not just dogs (or lexicographers)—during the dog days of summer. If you’re curious how dogs got singled out in this expression, however, you might say it was in the stars. The dog in dog days is the Dog Star, aka Sirius, the star that represents the hound of the hunter Orion in the eponymous constellation. The star has long been associated with sultry weather in the northern hemisphere because it rises simultaneously with the sun during the hottest days of summer.

Examples of dog days in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As the dog days of summer ease into a mild—if not slightly chilly—fall, autumnal joys like pumpkin spice, cider donuts, Halloween decorations, and cozy farmers’ markets, flood our moodboards and imaginations. —Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2024

The dog days of summer are usually bad months for the stock market, and that is playing out this year. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2024

Now, in the dog days of summer, when much of Hollywood is still in the land of Whispering Angel, why shouldn’t Holmes have one last flirtation with frivolous seasonal style before coat season really kicks in? —Alice Newbold, Vogue, 16 Aug. 2024

Between the new and unapologetically exuberant Democratic presidential ticket and the glorious Paris Olympics, the dog days of summer have shed their reputation for bittersweet lethargy and become the Season of the Vibe Shift, as antic as a rescue pup. —Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from their being reckoned from the heliacal rising of the Dog Star (Sirius)

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

dog days

plural noun

: the hot and humid period of summer between early July and early September

Etymology

translation of Latin dies caniculares, from canicula, literally, "little dog," from canis "dog"; so called from the fact that they begin at the time when the Dog Star rises with or near the sun — related to canine

Word Origin

The brightest star in the sky is Sirius, also known as the Dog Star. Sirius was given this name by the ancients because it was considered the hound of the hunter Orion, whose constellation was nearby; Sirius itself is in a constellation now called Canis Major ("larger dog"). The Dog Star was regarded by the ancient Greeks as the bringer of scorching heat, because its early-morning rising coincided with the hottest summer days of July and August. The Greek writer Plutarch called this time hēmerai kynades, literally, "dog days"—the days of the Dog Star—and via Latin this phrase was translated into English as dog days.