hackney

noun

hack·​ney ˈhak-nē 

plural hackneys

1

a

: a horse suitable for ordinary riding or driving

b

: a trotting horse used chiefly for driving

c

often Hackney : any of an English breed of rather compact usually chestnut, bay, or brown high-stepping horses

2

: a carriage or automobile kept for hire

3

obsolete : one that works for hire

Illustration of hackney

• hackney 1c

Examples of hackney in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Acceptable modes of transit include a 1969 Mini Cooper, any model of Range Rover that Prince Philip once drove, or a hackney carriage. —Simon Webster, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2023

Feinberg is still driving under the same hackney carriage medallion that he was issued in 1975, according to police. —Danny McDonald, BostonGlobe.com, 10 July 2018

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hakeney, hakenay "a small saddle horse, especially one for hire," probably from hackney, originally a parish and village, where nearby meadows may have been used to pasture horses

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing hackney

• hackney coach

Rhymes for hackney

• acne

Kids Definition

hackney

1 of 2 noun

hack·​ney ˈhak-nē 

plural hackneys

1

: any of a breed of compact high-stepping English horses

2

: a carriage or automobile kept for hire

hackney

2 of 2 adjective

1

: kept for public hire

2

: hackneyed