English

Noun

1. Any small house or structure or enclosure used to house a dog.
   • 1902, Thomas Dixon, The Leopard's Spots: A Romance of the White Man's Burden--1865-1900, page 61

     "But, honey, whar yo' ole man gwine ter sleep?" "Dey's straw in de barn, en pine shatters in de doghouse!" she shouted, slamming the window.

2. A structure of small size, similar to that of a dog-house, but offering useful shelter for a human.
   • 1840, James Holman, ''Travels in Madeira, Sierra Leone, Teneriffe, St. Jago, Cape Coast, Fernando ..., page 411

     This berth of mine was commonly called a doghouse (a box about six feet long, four high, and two broad,) containing a mattress fitted about 18 inches from the deck.

   • p. 1927, United States Code Annotated

     [...] so as to render railroad liable for death of brakeman falling from tender, notwithstanding construction of doghouse on top of tender for brakeman's use.

   • 1958, in Rudder, Page 33

     The yacht is well equipped and has accommodations for six people. A teak doghouse over the forward part of the cockpit affords [....]

   • 1966, John Gunn, Barrier Reef By Trimaran, page 30

     We lurched back into the shelter of the doghouse to consider things.

   • 2003, William W. Putney, Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Marine Dogs of WWII, page 106

     I abandoned my torture chamber for the captain's doghouse, a cot covered by a small canvas tent just outside the bridge.

   • 2005, Michael Green, M1 Abrams at War, page 75

     Two small armored doors at the front of the doghouse protect the sight mirrors from harm.

   • 2005, Alan Cockrell, Drilling Ahead: The Quest for Oil in the Deep South, 1945-2005, page 276

     A rotary rig could have drilled that much in a day. Oscar had been here a month. He kept a careful log on the doghouse wall [....]

3. Mechanically, an equipment cover with an opening, with a shape resembling a doghouse.

Derived terms

• in the doghouse

Translations