horse

noun \ ˈhȯrs \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Definition of horse

plural horses also horse

1 a (1) : a large solid-hoofed herbivorous ungulate mammal (Equus caballus, family Equidae, the horse family) domesticated since prehistoric times and used as a beast of burden, a draft animal, or for riding

(2) : racehorse

lost a lot of money playing the horses

b : a male horse; especially : stallion

c : a recent or extinct animal (such as a zebra, ass, or onager) of the horse family

2 a : jackstay

b : a frame usually with legs used for supporting something (such as planks or staging) : sawhorse

c (1) gymnastics : pommel horse

(2) gymnastics : vaulting horse

3 horse plural : cavalry

4 geology : a mass of the same geological character as the wall rock that occurs within a vein of useful mineral matter

5 : horsepower

a car with 275 horses

6 slang : heroin

7 : an athlete whose performance is consistently strong and reliable

a team with the horses to win the pennant

8 or H-O-R-S-E : a game in which players take turns attempting to duplicate successful basketball shots, a letter of the word "horse" is awarded for each missed attempt, and the first player to receive all five letters loses

—

horseless

play \ˈhȯr-sləs\ adjective

—

horselike

play \ˈhȯrs-ˌlīk\ adjective

— from the horse's mouth

: from the original source

See horse defined for English-language learners

See horse defined for kids

Examples of horse in a Sentence

a car with 275 horses
He lost a lot of money on the horses.

Recent Examples of horse from the Web

Rob Gronkowski has never ridden a horse, but never mind that.

— kalyn kahler, SI.com, "The Odds Aren’t In His Favor, but Rob Gronkowski Is All in on Gronkowski the Horse," 5 June 2018
Haney rode horses, waking up at 5:00 a.m. to hit the barn before school, then headed to basketball and track practice after class.

— nora caplan-bricker, Outside Online, "Ty Haney Is the Queen of Athleisure," 5 June 2018
The odds of a tree seedling landing and sprouting in an appropriate spot in your landscape are about the same as my chances of winning the Triple Crown (either with or without a horse).

— neil sperry, star-telegram, "Volunteering is great but 'volunteer' plants are a whole different story," 1 June 2018
Traffic Alert: 1100 block of Rhyne Rd is currently closed due to a deceased horse blocking the roadway.

— lavendrick smith, charlotteobserver, "A Charlotte road closed Friday for an unexpected reason: a dead horse," 1 June 2018
Did the Preakness indicate Justify is a tiring horse?

— childs walker, baltimoresun.com, "Five storylines as Justify prepares for his Triple Crown bid in Belmont Stakes," 1 June 2018
This month, researchers released images of a complete outline of a horse that died in its stable, likely while it was being harnessed so its owner could flee.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Skeleton of Man Crushed by Stone Block Uncovered in Pompeii," 31 May 2018
Kayla, who had been surprised with a horse named Justin as an eighth-grade graduation gift, was mesmerized by the Sunburst Farms community that day.

— mary wakeford, azcentral, "McDonalds embrace Glendale 'farm living within the city limits'," 24 May 2018
The arrows loosed from the back of a 1,500-pound horse at a break-neck pace find their mark, although in the case of the South Texas Archery Riders event at the historic Herman Brune Ranch, foam and not flesh are punctured with regularity.

— ralph winingham, San Antonio Express-News, "Ancient martial art combines horseback riding, archery skills," 24 May 2018

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