Definition of neighnext
as in to whinny
to make the cry typical of a horse the horses neighed when the rider came into the barn

Synonyms & Similar Words

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neigh

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of neigh
Verb
The series’ earnestly naïve sound design (horses neighing, cars revving) only enhanced my appreciation of Joudrey’s sophisticated storytelling. — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026 As such, the distinct sound that people hear when a horse neighs or whinnies is likely the animal relaying various independent messages or emotions at once, the study says. — Kate Perez, USA Today, 25 Feb. 2026 Across from them in their usual stalls stood the eight neighing horses. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025 The band joked about adding a neighing horse to the intro, and Rimes quickly inserted that sound from his plug-in collection. — Tom Roland, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2024 Laughing, always laughing—at the dickey birds hopping in the tree branches, at the urchin who was burned to a crisp by an angry mob, at the slandering neighbor woman who got turned into a neighing donkey. — Okwiri Oduor, Harper’s Magazine , 22 June 2022 No such juvenilia intrudes upon the rather more adult-ish proceedings of the new film The Wanting Mare, in which horses neigh and stamp at the margins of a bleak, majestic world. — Jason Kehe, Wired, 12 Feb. 2021 Horse trailers lined up in rows in Island Grove Regional Park, their passengers neighing indiscriminately. — John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 28 July 2019 Goats and sheep staying in the barn bleated, and horses neighed as the crowd of people grew. — David Anderson, baltimoresun.com, 23 July 2019
Noun
Now and then, a neigh carried through the kitchen’s French doors. — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 From the stables, the neigh of a horse, and then, a scratching sound followed by a spark that illuminated the silhouette of a figure quickly stepping away. — Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for neigh
Verb
  • In the field, Harry Truman’s Approval Rating whinnied and tossed its head, and Richard Nixon’s Approval Rating flopped on one side and emitted a horrible gurgle.
    — Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Waffles, patient and unbothered as onlookers walked around and stopped to gaze, nickered as another horse on the other side of the massive stalls whinnied.
    — Chris Torres, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Just say no to more moo juice One important person in the country's government is trying to modify this cultural habit.
    — Fatma Tanis, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
  • My personal highlights were the tender, lightly caramelized moo ping pork skewers with sticky rice, succulent tomato stracciatella sourdough toast, and copious flawless mango, which melted in my mouth like butter.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Waffles, patient and unbothered as onlookers walked around and stopped to gaze, nickered as another horse on the other side of the massive stalls whinnied.
    — Chris Torres, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Timbaland’s eerie, minimalist production — stuttering beat patterns, yawning silences between drum hits, synth riffs that bray and heave — was the ideal vehicle for Elliott’s slaloming, heavily syncopated raps.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • My father mistakes it for the verb to bray, like a donkey.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Finally, the structure crumbled in a roar of broken concrete and a cloud of dust.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The unsentimental roar is, of course, a translation of Chekhov’s saws, and a good one at that.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Now life was like that; some days fine and firm and full of whatever, while other days the hoarse bark of the neighbors’ dog or a friend’s grim diagnosis and her body succumbed to an emotional gravity that pulled her into a free fall.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Inside a white-walled room, a clinician administered ibogaine, a psychoactive compound derived from a sacred Central African bark.
    — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Sweet tweets, soft moans, the distant caw of a shore bird piloting toward the sea, spirited and hopeful, daylight already breaking through.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
Noun
  • The screech of guitar feedback echoed from a makeshift stage outside, where a punk-rock band had just launched into their set, a fitting accompaniment to the bar’s kaleidoscopic selection of beer.
    — Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
  • La Vierge de Fer contrasts the delicate fruit and a lily note with the screech of cold metal, sparkling aldehydes, and lilting sandalwood.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 3 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Neigh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neigh. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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