horse

noun

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\ ˈhȯrs

plural horses also horse

Definition of horse

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a(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

2a : 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 geologic 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

from the horse's mouth

: from the original source

horse

verb

horsed; horsing

Definition of horse (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to provide with a horse (see horse sense 1a(1)) horsing a coach a horsed vehicle

2 : to move by brute force sweating gunners horsed their pieces into action— Bruce Catton

intransitive verb

of a mare : to be in heat or estrus

horse

adjective

Definition of horse (Entry 3 of 3)

1a : of or relating to a horse (see horse sense 1a(1)) a horse farm

b : hauled or powered by a horse a horse barge

2 : large or coarse of its kind

3 : mounted on horses horse guards

Illustration of horse

Noun

horse 1a(1): 1 dock, 2 croup, 3 point of hip, 4 loin, 5 back, 6 withers, 7 mane, 8 crest, 9 poll, 10 forelock, 11 forehead, 12 muzzle, 13 cheek, 14 throatlatch, 15 neck, 16 shoulder, 17 chest, 18 forearm, 19 knee, 20 cannon, 21 fetlock, 22 hoof, 23 chestnut, 24 elbow, 25 barrel, 26 flank, 27 stifle, 28 pastern, 29 coronet, 30 hock, 31 gaskin, 32 tail, 33 thigh, 34 buttock

In the meaning defined above

Other Words from horse Synonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing horse Learn More About horse

Examples of horse in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Cole lived next door to her for a few years, and Newton decided to make the most of two assets: the spring near her land that supplied drinking water and the horse and buggy. — Marisa Agha, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2022 The judge was referring to a regulation, commonly known as the trainer insurer rule, which makes the trainer ultimately responsible for every horse and even actions taken by third parties without the trainer’s knowledge. — John Cherwaspecial Contributor, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2022 Where’s Blockbuster, Kodak or the horse and carriage? — Ezekiel Solesi, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2022 Most engaging of all are the stories of the animals, their personalities, eccentricities and odd friendships: llama and donkey, kitten and duck, horse and UPS driver. — Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2022 Still, whatever his trauma, the historical Billy was nonetheless a horse and cattle thief — and, more important, a killer. — Chris Vognar, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2022 Waldron, a rural public high school in Shelby County with 161 students, has been around since the horse and buggy days of more than a century ago. — Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Apr. 2022 Eric and Toby Delamarter are two of the roughly 300 people who have died of COVID-19 in Mifflin County, where cows grazing in pastures and Amish horse and buggies are frequent sights. — Tribune News Service, oregonlive, 9 Apr. 2022 The cryobank has provided genetic material to revive rare species like Przewalski’s horse and the black-footed ferret through cloning. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Apr. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective While horse deaths nationwide have been on the decline -- from 790 racehorses in 2009 to 493 last year, according to the Jockey Club -- Santa Anita's numbers have fluctuated over the years. — Eliott C. Mclaughlin, CNN, 11 June 2019 Horse hooves thunder down green acres as mallets clank against polo balls in the setting sun. — Elisabeth Moughon, The Courier-Journal, 27 July 2017 Horse races were canceled at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia and the Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress. — Mark Gomez, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2017 See More

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.