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Noun
Blacksmithing Is Having a Moment: The combination of adorable animals, good-looking men (and women) and the satisfaction of watching a shabby hoof get scraped and hammered has emerged as must-scroll viewing for millions of people.—New York Times, 21 June 2025 The following day, though, Sovereignty’s trainer Bill Mott said the horse had a scrape on his right front pastern, which is above the hoof.—Ben Church, CNN Money, 7 June 2025
Verb
One of Wilson’s focuses was a substantial investment in the ventilation system, which hoofs up smoke like a super-charged Dyson.—William Goodman, Robb Report, 1 May 2025 Not since The Rosie O’Donnell Show have we been so frequently blessed with hoofers hoofing about in the ol’ hoof house.—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hoof
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old English hōf; akin to Old High German huof hoof, Sanskrit śapha
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
: a covering of horn that protects the front of or encloses the ends of the toes of some mammals (as horses, oxen, and pigs) and that corresponds to a nail or claw
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