dogsbody

noun

ˈdȯgz-ˌbä-dē How to pronounce dogsbody (audio)
Definition of dogsbodynext
chiefly British
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work I worked for several years as a gofer and general dogsbody for a London publishing house

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dogsbody From 1938 to 1940 Nick Clifford was on Mount Rushmore, first as dogsbody and wood-chopper, then as labourer and winchman. — The Economist, 1 Aug. 2019 Charley, who already has a casual job with Del (Steve Buscemi), a local horse trainer, now becomes his full-time dogsbody, or nagsbody—cleaning the stables, driving the truck, or walking Lean on Pete. — Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dogsbody
  1. laborer
  2. worker
Noun
  • In the previous decades, Japan had brought in many Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese laborers, often under duress, to work in factories and mines, usually in atrocious conditions.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • When his son suddenly turns up alive and well, Mark and his psychiatrist wife, Abigail (Kerry Washington), realize that the kidnapper accidentally took the child of Ramón (Luis Gerardo Méndez), their housekeeper’s undocumented day-laborer boyfriend.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of laborer
Noun
  • The program could also be targeted rather than universal — triggered by sector-specific unemployment spikes, income level, or geography, so the money flows first to the workers AI disrupts most.
    — Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • At least six families said health workers visited only after a child had died from measles in their community.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of worker

Browse Nearby Words

dogsbodies
dogsbody
do in
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Cite this Entry

“Dogsbody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dogsbody. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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