Definition

A person whose job is to catch and remove stray dogs from public areas.

Example

The dogcatcher arrived to help control the stray dog population in the neighborhood.

Conversation

Did you hear about the new dogcatcher in town?

Yeah, I heard they’re really strict about stray dogs now.

I wonder if they’ll actually help reduce the number of strays.

I hope so, but it might be tough if people don’t cooperate.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Dogcatcher → The word is formed from 'dog' (of uncertain origin, but likely from Old English 'docga', meaning a powerful breed of dog) and 'catcher' (from 'catch' which comes from Old Norse 'kappa', meaning to seize or capture, plus the suffix '-er' indicating a person who performs an action). A dogcatcher is a person who captures or seizes dogs, typically stray ones.

Memory Tip

Think of someone who 'seizes' ('catch') dogs, and the '-er' means a person doing that action. This helps you remember that a dogcatcher is someone who captures dogs.

Visually Confused Words