dogsled
dog·​sled
: a sled drawn by dogs
dogsled intransitive verb
dogsledder noun

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The sport of racing sleds pulled by dogs over snow-covered cross-country courses, dogsled racing, developed from a traditional Eskimo method of transportation. Modern sleds are usually of wood (ash) construction, with leather lashings and steel- or aluminum-covered runners. The dogs used for pulling the sleds are most often Eskimo dogs, Siberian huskies, Samoyeds, or Alaskan malamutes; teams typically consist of 4–10 dogs. The course is usually 12–30 miles (19–48 km) long, though some, including the Iditarod, an annual dogsled race held in Alaska, are considerably longer.

Examples of dogsled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Mushers use a traditional dogsled if the snowpack is more than 8 inches. —Ryan Deto, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025 Like Trump’s second inauguration, Reagan’s second swearing-in was held inside the Capitol rotunda, and the inaugural parade—featuring an Alaskan dogsled pulled by 21 huskies—was cancelled. —Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025 At Nemacolin Resort, about 90 minutes southeast of Pittsburgh, guests are whisked off on dogsleds into a winter wonderland. —Ryan Deto, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025 After her father’s death, an American goes to Finland to continue his tradition of dogsled racing. —Mike Hughes, The Enquirer, 27 Nov. 2024 The difference was that unlike Keenan, who would have liked to send Smith back to his native Toronto on a dogsled, Riley didn’t want Checketts out. —New York Daily News, 15 June 2024 The event is named after the Iditarod Trail, an old mail and supply route, traveled by dogsleds from Seward and Knik to Nome. —Ben Church, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Guests can visit the town and discover village customs such as hunting by dogsled on the ice floes, or learn some of the Inuktitut language. —Scott Laird, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Nov. 2023 This long-standing tradition includes a broomball tournament, dogsled and Nordic races, and a ceremonial Burning of the Greens. —Outside Online, 13 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1706, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dogsled was in 1706

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Cite this Entry

“Dogsled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogsled. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

dogsled

noun
dog·​sled
: a sled drawn by dogs
dogsled verb

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