bloodhound

Everyday

1. A large dog with a very good sense of smell, long droopy ears and loose wrinkled skin, used to follow the trail of people or animals. tree →
2. (informal) A person, like a detective, who is very good at finding things out. tree →

In the lessons

In stories and police work, bloodhounds track missing people or escaped prisoners. In science, they are an example of how good a dog's nose is: much better than a human's. Phrase: sniff out like a bloodhound.

Examples

• The bloodhound followed the scent through the woods. tree →
• Police used bloodhounds to find the lost hiker. tree →
• Bloodhounds have long, floppy ears. tree →
• Our detective sniffed out clues like a bloodhound. tree →
• A bloodhound's nose can follow a trail days old. tree →

Note

Countable: bloodhounds. The name does not mean they like blood; «blood» once meant a pure-bred dog.