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Mutt can now be used with either affection or disdain to refer to a dog that is not purebred, but in the word's early history, in the U.S. around the turn of the 20th century, it could also be used to describe a person—and not kindly: mutt was another word for "fool." The word's history lies in another insult. It comes from muttonhead, another Americanism that also means essentially "fool." Muttonhead had been around since the early 19th century but it was not unlike an older insult with the same meaning: people had been calling one another "sheep's heads" since the mid-16th century.
Examples of mutt in a Sentence
James Grebey, Time, 10 July 2025
First seen barreling toward the camera at speeds only the most brazen digital effects house could estimate, this mutt runs like the wind and pounces like an anvil with hairy legs and a neat red cape.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2025
The toilet does the heavy work automatically with an electromechanical system, so all the owner of said waste has to do is grab the sealed, odorless bag and drop it in the garbage, much like a mutt mitt.
—New Atlas, 15 May 2025
Remember when this series started, the Nuggets were heavy underdogs, viewed as mutts.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mutt
Cite this Entry
“Mutt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutt. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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