Meaning & use
yappy dogs
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Meaning
phrasepluralinformal
Small dogs that bark often and sharply, usually in a high-pitched, annoying way.
Grammar: A plural noun phrase; the singular is 'a yappy dog'. It takes a plural verb: 'The yappy dogs are outside.'
Patterns
- yappy dogs bark
- a yappy dog
- the yappy dogs next door
The yappy dogs next door start barking every time someone walks past.
She loves her two yappy dogs even though the neighbors complain about the noise.
Yappy dogs are often small breeds that feel the need to guard their territory.
Word forms
| singular | yappy dog |
|---|
Common combinations
- yappy little dogs
- Those yappy little dogs follow her everywhere.
- barking yappy dogs
- The barking yappy dogs woke me up at dawn.
- yappy dogs next door
- The yappy dogs next door are quiet today.
- a pack of yappy dogs
- A pack of yappy dogs ran toward the gate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- barky
- Informal and less common; it describes a dog that barks a lot but does not always suggest a high, irritating sound.
- noisy
- A general word for any loud sound; it does not specifically mean sharp, repeated barking.
- snappy
- Describes a dog that tries to bite, not one that barks a lot; be careful not to mix them up.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: yappy dogs or happy dogs? yappy dogs or yippy?
yappy dogs vs happy dogs
Sounds similar but means dogs that feel pleasure, not dogs that bark a lot.
yappy dogs vs yippy
A rare variant spelling; 'yappy' is the standard form for a dog that barks sharply.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'yappy dogs' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Yappy dogs' is plural, so it takes 'are'. Option 0 uses 'is', option 2 mixes a singular noun with 'are', and option 3 uses the singular verb 'barks' with a plural subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “yappy dogs”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.