dog-paddle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Ms. Andersen was barely able to dog-paddle across.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 2, 2023
The perfect example was when he tripped trying for a triple and tried to dog-paddle through the dirt to third base — failing miserably.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 18, 2022
For fun, he’d drop from tree branches hanging over the Ohio River and dog-paddle back to shore, unable to actually swim.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 15, 2022
Obscure Seattlites got into print by telling how she learned to do the dog-paddle in Green Lake.
From Time Magazine Archive
It had happened to them often enough on previous expeditions across the river, and they would swim after the boat and, using it as a float, dog-paddle to the shore.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
The canine’s snout sliced determinedly through the water as it dog-paddled along, before eventually turning around and swimming back to Angel Island.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2025
The Japanese cheered from the deck and I rolled over and with one arm dog-paddled my way to the Beaver, where I grabbed the towline and held on.
From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos
His head and the ridge of his back were visible; his tail floated behind him as he dog-paddled beside Jonathan.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
When he got the shoe untied, he swam back to the surface and dog-paddled while he used his other foot to pry the shoe off.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Qareeb dog-paddled over next to me, and we both stood with our feet planted on the swimming pool floor waiting for Abu’s signal.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Butler’s Hank is dog-paddling through life: a self-loathing failure just trying to keep his head above water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025
It’s a symphony of gossip, bicker, complaint and reassurance that no one is dog-paddling out there alone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2019
If you’re like me, you’re flapping around in a Narrow Sea of plot and valiantly dog-paddling toward the friendly shores of Dragonstone.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 12, 2019
My efforts at French leave me at once inert and exhausted, as though I’ve been dog-paddling in a pool of standing water.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 1, 2016
Both of us stayed out there anyway, dog-paddling and diving under swells and splashing water at each other and laughing.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
