hoof

noun

\ ˈhu̇f

, ˈhüf

plural hooves\ ˈhüvz

, ˈhu̇vz \ also hoofs

Definition of hoof

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a curved covering of horn that protects the front of or encloses the ends of the digits of an ungulate mammal and that corresponds to a nail or claw

2 : a hoofed foot especially of a horse

on the hoof

of a meat animal : before butchering : living 90¢ a pound on the hoof

hoof

verb

hoofed; hoofing; hoofs

Definition of hoof (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to walk especially with haste hoofed it to the lecture hall

2 : kick, trample

intransitive verb

: to move on the feet especially : dance

Other Words from hoof More Example Sentences Learn More about hoof

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of hoof in a Sentence

Verb

The cast was hoofing on the stage.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Several of the famed ponies picked up the infection in their hooves and legs, likely after stepping in contaminated wetlands on Assateague Island. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "A Deadly 'Swamp Cancer' Has Killed Seven of the Famous Chincoteague Wild Ponies," 11 Jan. 2019 To make the surface suitable for the hooves of galloping horses, the stunt team laid down three different layers of material. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "How They Pulled Off the Chase Scene in 'Robin Hood'," 30 Nov. 2018 Recently discovered in permafrost in the Siberian region of Yakutia, the skin, hair, hooves and tail of the carcass are all preserved. — James Rogers, Fox News, "Scientists want to clone this extinct, frozen prehistoric horse," 6 Sep. 2018 Clever Hans, given a number, could tap his hoof the right number of times… but only if his handler was in the room. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Horses may understand human emotion, especially anger," 6 Sep. 2018 Brazile’s signature event—where the cowboy, after roping the calf, jumps off his horse, sprints to the animal, then picks it up and throws it down onto its side (legs facing away) and ties three of the hooves together. — Melissa Lyttle, Smithsonian, "The First Family of Rodeo," 13 Dec. 2017 The closest thing to a plant that Tangerini had drawn up to that point was the grass under the horses’ hooves. — Leila Mcneill, Smithsonian, "The Botanical Artist Who Translates Plant Science Into Beautiful Art," 10 July 2018 Trainer Bob Baffert called it a filling in his left front hoof. — John Cherwa, latimes.com, "Racing! CHRB ready to tackle Golden Gate issue," 12 July 2018 Specialists administer bovine pedicures to some—at a cost of $150 a hoof—to make sure their great weight doesn’t damage their feet or cause arthritis. — Oliver Griffin, WSJ, "Like Your Steak Aged 36 Months? Try 17 Years," 10 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

On parade day, between road closures and traffic, your best bet is to hoof it a little. — Adam Lukach, RedEye Chicago, "Your questions about Chicago Pride Fest and the Chicago Pride Parade, answered," 12 June 2018 The opposite of taking a walk on the wild side might be to hoof it across the 500 or so reflective, slow-going miles that form the Camino de Santiago, the renowned medieval Catholic pilgrimage route that spans northern Spain. — Gary Goldstein, latimes.com, "'Strangers on the Earth' doc inspires as it captures musician's sacred trek," 31 May 2018 Often, her daily after-school schedule consists of a couple of hours of training at the Peabody track with the rest of the team, then moving half a mile down the street for a few hours hoofing it at the studio Expressions in Dance. — Matt Case, BostonGlobe.com, "Murphy, Gorgenyi quick out of the gate," 4 May 2018 The other one was less congenial and ended up hoofing it to safety by following the beam to the bridge's end. — Aj Willingham, CNN, "Two goats make a huge mistake, get stranded on bridge," 6 Apr. 2018 Cassidy wrote that the 32 billion steps hoofed annually on the boardwalk could operate most of the appliances in a small restaurant (including the refrigerator, freezer, oven, microwave, dishwasher and air conditioner) for 320 days. — Terry Gardner, latimes.com, "How travelers to California's most popular landmarks could create electricity while they walk," 20 Mar. 2018 In 2017, four of his shows — Sunset Boulevard, Cats, School of Rock and Phantom — were hoofing it on Broadway at the same time. — Jocelyn Mcclurg, USA TODAY, "Weekend picks for book lovers, including Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Unmasked'," 17 Mar. 2018 But soon enough, the people of Beverly Hills were outside City Hall every Monday morning, ready to hoof it for two or three miles in the name of meeting their daily step goals, and their mayor. — Elspeth Velten, Vogue, "In the World’s Most Famous Zip Code, Don't Settle for Just Any Tour Guide," 22 Jan. 2018 The ranch’s employees — including several workers who lived off the property and had to hoof it across the Santa Paula Creek to make their way to the ranch — battled the flames. — Sarah Fritsche, San Francisco Chronicle, "Brokaw Ranch sustains major damage in Thomas Fire," 8 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hoof.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.