watch·dog
ˈwäch-ˌdȯg 
ˈwȯch-
1
: a dog kept to guard property
2
: one that guards against loss, waste, theft, or undesirable practices
watchdogged; watchdogging; watchdogs
: to act as a watchdog for
Examples of watchdog in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
The bill is a tax shift, not a new investment in public education as supporters maintain, taxation watchdog group Open Sky Policy Institute said.
—Margery A. Beck, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
Still, Daniel Turner, the executive director of energy watchdog group Power the Future, said the storm's impact could foreshadow future threats to the U.S. power grid if the nation transitions to a heavy reliance on solar energy.
—Thomas Catenacci, Fox News, 27 Mar. 2024
The yearslong campaign allegedly targeted American officials, senators, journalists and companies – including Pentagon contractors – as well as British parliamentarians, the UK’s election watchdog and members of the European Parliament, affecting millions of people.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024
Beyond the $300 million question mark, some energy watchdogs warn there’s little means to know whether PG&E is complying with the loan terms and not using it to pay shareholders.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 26 Mar. 2024
According to watchdog group Airwars, the U.S. campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which began while Austin was the top military official for the Middle East, probably killed at least 8,000 civilians.
—Missy Ryan, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
On Monday, District Judge Charles Breyer dismissed and excoriated a lawsuit by X against online watchdog group Center for Countering Digital Hate as an attempt to silence the non-profit group for sounding alarms about hate speech on the platform.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024
Such a large tax liability is extremely rare on a federal financial disclosure form, said Robert Maguire, research director at the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan watchdog group.
—David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
Patricia Cohen Jes Aznar, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
This opinion will be binding on national data watchdogs and provide more clarity on the scope of what’s feasible for tech firms.
—Stephanie Bodoni, Fortune Europe, 29 Feb. 2024
Advertisement Adelanto has also faced scrutiny from federal and state watchdogs over health and safety violations.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2023
In the past, this might only have attracted the attention of government watchdogs like the Peterson Foundation, but the post-pandemic bout of inflation changed all that.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024
The change would block local government watchdogs from filing their own complaints.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 2 Feb. 2024
City Hall watchdogs have criticized Feuer for his handling of a lawsuit stemming from the Department of Water and Power billing debacle.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2024
Risky from the start Airline industry watchdogs praised the court's decision to halt the deal.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 16 Jan. 2024
One of California’s largest immigrant detention facilities, Adelanto has been investigated by government watchdogs over health and safety violations, including disciplinary segregation and detainee exposure to toxic chemicals.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2024
Noun
As millions of students wait on aid offers, the Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog, is investigating concerns with the FAFSA rollout.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
The bill is a tax shift, not a new investment in public education as supporters maintain, taxation watchdog group Open Sky Policy Institute said.
—Margery A. Beck, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
Still, Daniel Turner, the executive director of energy watchdog group Power the Future, said the storm's impact could foreshadow future threats to the U.S. power grid if the nation transitions to a heavy reliance on solar energy.
—Thomas Catenacci, Fox News, 27 Mar. 2024
The yearslong campaign allegedly targeted American officials, senators, journalists and companies – including Pentagon contractors – as well as British parliamentarians, the UK’s election watchdog and members of the European Parliament, affecting millions of people.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024
Beyond the $300 million question mark, some energy watchdogs warn there’s little means to know whether PG&E is complying with the loan terms and not using it to pay shareholders.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 26 Mar. 2024
According to watchdog group Airwars, the U.S. campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which began while Austin was the top military official for the Middle East, probably killed at least 8,000 civilians.
—Missy Ryan, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
On Monday, District Judge Charles Breyer dismissed and excoriated a lawsuit by X against online watchdog group Center for Countering Digital Hate as an attempt to silence the non-profit group for sounding alarms about hate speech on the platform.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024
Such a large tax liability is extremely rare on a federal financial disclosure form, said Robert Maguire, research director at the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan watchdog group.
—David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
Verb
Environmental watchdogs like the World Wildlife Fund and a wide range of industry players and multinationals teamed up in 2004 to create the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a voluntary organization that set standards to reduce destructive practices.
—Patricia Cohen Jes Aznar, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
This opinion will be binding on national data watchdogs and provide more clarity on the scope of what’s feasible for tech firms.
—Stephanie Bodoni, Fortune Europe, 29 Feb. 2024
Advertisement Adelanto has also faced scrutiny from federal and state watchdogs over health and safety violations.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2023
In the past, this might only have attracted the attention of government watchdogs like the Peterson Foundation, but the post-pandemic bout of inflation changed all that.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024
The change would block local government watchdogs from filing their own complaints.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 2 Feb. 2024
City Hall watchdogs have criticized Feuer for his handling of a lawsuit stemming from the Department of Water and Power billing debacle.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2024
Risky from the start Airline industry watchdogs praised the court's decision to halt the deal.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 16 Jan. 2024
One of California’s largest immigrant detention facilities, Adelanto has been investigated by government watchdogs over health and safety violations, including disciplinary segregation and detainee exposure to toxic chemicals.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'watchdog.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Watchdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/watchdog. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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