poodle

UK: /ˈpuːd^əl/ US: /ˈpudəl/ ,(po̅o̅d′l)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

poo•dle /ˈpudəl/   n. [countable]

1. Dog and Cat Breeds one of a breed of dogs with long, thick, frizzy or curly hair.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

poo•dle  (po̅o̅d′l), n. 

1. Dog and Cat Breeds one of a breed of very active dogs, probably originating in Germany but regarded as the national dog of France, having long, thick, frizzy or curly hair usually trimmed in standard patterns, occurring in three varieties (standard, miniature, and toy) differing only in size, and originally used as a water retriever.

• German Pudel, short for Pudelhund, equivalent. to pudel(n) to splash (see puddle) + Hund hound¹
• 1815–25

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

poodle / ˈpuːd^əl/ noun

1. a breed of dog, with varieties of different sizes, having curly hair, which is often clipped from ribs to tail for showing: originally bred to hunt waterfowl
2. a person who is servile; lackey

Etymology: 19th Century: from German Pudel, short for Pudelhund, from pudeln to splash + Hund dog; the dogs were formerly trained as water dogs; see puddle, hound¹