everybody and their dog

English

WOTD – 2 December 2025

Etymology

From everybody + and + their + dog.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɛvɹiɪbɒdi n̩ ðɛː ˈdɒɡ/, /-bə-/
• (General American, stressed form) IPA^(key): /ˈɛvɹiˌbɑdi n̩ ðɛɹ ˈdɔɡ/, /-vɹə-/, (General American, unstressed form) /-(ˌ)bədi-/, /-ðəɹ-/, (cot–caught merger) /-dɑɡ/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

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• Rhymes: -ɒɡ
• Hyphenation: ev‧ery‧body and their dog

Pronoun

everybody and their dog

1. (idiomatic, informal) Synonym of everybody and his brother (“everybody, everyone; also, a large number of people; most people”).
   • 1894 February, “Reminiscences”, in The Station Agent:

     Everybody and their dog in that town had the "fever and ague," and they walked about like ghosts.

Alternative forms

• everybody and his dog, everyone and his dog, everyone and their dog

Synonyms

• the whole world and his dog
• See the list at everybody and his brother and Thesaurus:everybody

Further reading

• “everybody and his (also their, etc.) wife (also brother, cousin, dog, etc.), phrase” under “everybody, pron.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2025.