Idiom: Dog Eat Dog
Dog eat dog (idiom)
Try to guess the meaning of the idiom 'dog eat dog' by looking at the picture. It's not a pretty picture is it?
Dog eat dog: ruthless competition where people will do anything (even harm other people) to succeed at doing something.
Notes:
Can you imagine a dog eating another dog? Well, that would be a ruthless, cruel and a very extreme way to survive.
We often say the world is dog eat dog or say something is a dog eat dog world. Dog eat dog is therefore an adjective describing how difficult, mean and competitive something (e.g., the world) can be.
Sentence examples
— I hated living in New York City because even riding the subway to work in the morning was dog eat dog to get a seat.
— Are you sure you want to to go into the field of sales and marketing? It's such a dog eat dog profession.
— I only shop online during Black Friday sales—the shopping malls are dog eat dog and each year a few people are killed while shopping!
— You might not believe it but you must have a dog eat dog attitude to be successful in beauty pageants.
— Politics is a dog eat dog world.
— Actually my daughter loves working on Wall Street—she seems to thrive in a dog eat dog work environment.
— Trying to find parking in the city is dog eat dog—let's take the bus instead.
— I played football in both high school and college and it was rough but professional NFL football is a dog eat dog world.
— We played games at the baby shower and I couldn't believe it was so dog eat dog—everyone wanted to win the prizes.
— I never thought kindergarten could be a dog eat dog world but the parents of these kids are really aggressive.
— Good luck working in sales—I hear it's a dog eat dog world.
— My high school had a real dog eat dog atmosphere—everyone wanted to be Valedictorian so they could get accepted to an Ivy League school.
— It may seem like child beauty pageants are innocent fun but they're really dog eat dog competitions.
— Acting is a dog eat dog profession because actors will do anything to get a part.
— Do you really want to become a professional tennis player? It's a dog eat dog world on the tennis circuit.
Synonyms
- cutthroat
- every person for themselves
- hard as nails
- have a killer instinct
Download your free illustrated idioms eBook!
Want to expand your idiom knowledge even further? Download our free eBook, '25 Illustrated Idioms,' to learn more useful expressions with fun visuals that make understanding idioms a breeze. Sign up now to get your free copy!
You might like these other idioms
If you found this idiom useful, sign-up for my free newsletter to learn about new updates to my website. It's free and it's easy to subscribe.
- Home Page ›
- Idiom Examples ›
- Dog Eat Dog Idiom
