workhorse

noun

work·​horse ˈwərk-ˌhȯrs How to pronounce workhorse (audio)
Synonyms of workhorsenext
1
: a horse used chiefly for labor as distinguished from driving, riding, or racing
2
a(1)
: a person who performs most of the work of a group task
(2)
: a hardworking person
b
: something that is markedly useful, durable, or dependable

Examples of workhorse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The bulb vegetable is a workhorse used on sandwiches, burgers, tacos, and nachos as well as in sauces, salads, meatloaf, and more. Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 14 June 2026 Presently, most commercial systems use a mixture of C-band (the workhorse) and L-band wavelengths. Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026 Unlike the workhorse Falcon 9, Starship is being designed to be fully reusable, the holy grail of space launch. Morgan Brennan,harriet Taylor, CNBC, 12 June 2026 The eighth-gen Lenovo ThinkBook 16 is a business-ready workhorse ready to take on everything from everyday browsing to heavier tasks, like keeping all those tabs open while running multiple other applications in the background. Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for workhorse

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of workhorse was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Workhorse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/workhorse. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

workhorse

noun
work·​horse ˈwərk-ˌhȯ(ə)rs How to pronounce workhorse (audio)
1
: a horse used for hard work (as on a farm)
2
a
: a person who does most of the work of a group task
b
: something that is useful, durable, or dependable

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