collie

noun

col·​lie ˈkä-lē How to pronounce collie (audio)
: any of a breed of large dogs developed in Scotland that occur in rough-coated and smooth-coated varieties and have erect ears and a long muzzle

Illustration of collie

Illustration of collie

Examples of collie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In order to get Maggie, her beloved first rough collie, then 16-year-old Long-Gschwender struck a bargain with her mom to enter Maggie into an obedience program. — Noah Daly august 23, Idaho Statesman, 23 Aug. 2026 The monarch is pictured above with her first collie, Sharp; over the course of 40 years, Queen Victoria would go on to own more than 80 collies. — Audrey Schmidt, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026 Tsunami will visit schools and communities across the country, with support from Perros Extremos, a dog-training organization that has rallied support around the border collie during this emergency. — Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026 The black-and-white collie was awarded a silver medal for his ingenuity, while his native England went a step further, winning the World Cup a few weeks later. — Jonathan Thompson, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for collie

Word History

Etymology

probably from English dialect colly black

First Known Use

circa 1651, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of collie was circa 1651

Phrases Containing collie

Rhymes for collie

See All Rhymes for collie

Browse Nearby Words

collidine
collie
collier
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Cite this Entry

“Collie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collie. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

collie

noun
col·​lie ˈkäl-ē How to pronounce collie (audio)
: any of a breed of large dogs developed in Scotland for herding sheep

More from Merriam-Webster on collie

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about collie

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