bird dog
A hunting dog for birds, or a person who hunts something down for you.
Also called bird-dog, birddog.
Updated September 21, 2026
bird dog pronunciation
/BURD dawg/
Meaning
Literally, a dog trained to find and flush game birds. Figuratively, somebody who tracks down leads, people, or bargains with that same single-minded focus. In older dating talk, a bird dog is the guy who tries to steal someone else's date.
How folks use it
- “That bird dog of his will point a covey before you even see it.”
- “I need you to bird dog those spare parts and call me when you find them.”
Origin and etymology
Bird dog for a gundog shows up in American English by the 1830s. The verb and the people senses came later, in the early-to-mid 1900s, from the idea of a dog that never quits the trail. The Everly Brothers' 1958 hit "Bird Dog" locked in the date-stealing joke for a generation.
Frequently asked questions
Can bird dog be a verb?
Yes. To bird dog something means to watch it close or hunt it down until you find it.