Illustration of prairie dog
prairie dog
noun
: any of a genus (Cynomys) of gregarious burrowing rodents of the squirrel family chiefly of central and western U.S. plains
especially
: a black-tailed rodent (C. ludovicianus) that usually lives in extensive colonial burrows
Examples of prairie dog in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The research team also tagged 50 of the engineers of ferret habitat and food resources – prairie dogs.
—
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
The virus was spread to prairie dogs being sold as pets in multiple Midwestern states, and 47 people became infected.
—David Cox, WIRED, 27 July 2022
The badger would quickly start digging and the coyote would wait at the nearby emergency exit hole for the prairie dogs to come out.
—Stan Tekiela, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
The culprit was sylvatic plague, a bacterial disease that devastates both ferrets and their primary prey, Gunnison's prairie dogs.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
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Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
The virus was spread to prairie dogs being sold as pets in multiple Midwestern states, and 47 people became infected.
—David Cox, WIRED, 27 July 2022
The badger would quickly start digging and the coyote would wait at the nearby emergency exit hole for the prairie dogs to come out.
—Stan Tekiela, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
The culprit was sylvatic plague, a bacterial disease that devastates both ferrets and their primary prey, Gunnison's prairie dogs.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prairie dog
Cite this Entry
“Prairie dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prairie%20dog. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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