in the doghouse
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
In disgrace.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
You've got to tell them the truth!’
I was beginning to think I must be in the doghouse for some reason.’
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Euphemism (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “in the doghouse” mean?
In disgrace.
Is “in the doghouse” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.