horse

noun

Save Word

\ 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 Learn More about horse

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for horse

Synonyms: Noun

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 Lokanc and some others who testified said the gender of a horse makes no difference in testing for lidocaine. — Beth Harris, ajc, "Arkansas officials hear Baffert's appeal of drug positives," 20 Apr. 2021 That was the end of the horse and might have been the end of Nelson if the doctors hadn’t taken off his gangrenous arm at the elbow. — New York Times, "Trouble in Titletown," 12 Apr. 2021 This horse may be well served going five furlongs next out. — John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, "Horse racing newsletter: Remembering Prince Philip," 10 Apr. 2021 Perhaps more than any other Austen heroine, Emma is very concerned with outward appearances and a bit of a clothes horse. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "Emma costume designer Alexandra Byrne on creating a confectionary Regency wardrobe," 8 Apr. 2021 Mule Alley, the century-old street of horse and mule barns repurposed into shops and restaurants, is the hot and new old thing in the Stockyards, but there’s still old-timey cowboy carousing to be had. — Shannon Sutlief, Dallas News, "Families can stay and play in Dallas-Fort Worth for spring break fun," 3 Mar. 2021 This horse was going to be one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby, but a physical issue set him back. — Michael Beychok, NOLA.com, "Check out Michael Beychok's Fair Grounds picks for Saturday, Dec. 19," 18 Dec. 2020 South Alabama was helped along by a horse-collar tackle on a run by Carlos Davis, who also converted on third-and-1 with a 2-yard run to the 10. — Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, "Desmond Trotter returns, leads South Alabama to 30-20 win over Texas State," 17 Oct. 2020 Four plays later, Allen was penalized for a horse-collar tackle. — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, "Dolphins pick on unknown cornerback and the rest of the 49ers in a 43-17 rout," 11 Oct. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The $450 billion global industry is reeling from the shutdown of professional sports—from professional soccer and basketball to horse racing—as governments around the world clamp down with increasing severity on mass gatherings. — Geoffrey Smith, Fortune, "Life without sports—betting firms begin to tally up their coronavirus losses," 21 Mar. 2020 Don’t allow any compromises to horse and jockey safety. — Los Angeles Times, "Racing! Readers have advice for Craig Fravel," 19 Sep. 2019 In that case, shipments got mixed up and cattle feed was delivered to horse barns. — Los Angeles Times, "Justify failed drug test because of contaminated feed, California racing board says," 12 Sep. 2019 Tom Wolfe’s subjects ranged from Hugh Hefner to Chuck Yeager to horse breeding to the social life of Miami retirement homes. — Matthew Continetti, National Review, "James Bagehot: The Great Victorian Journalist," 12 Sep. 2019 The horse vaccination program is limited to the Merrimack Valley for now, but the MSPCA will look to expand its services to horse owners elsewhere based on need and available resources. — Hanna Krueger, BostonGlobe.com, "MSPCA launches emergency EEE vaccination clinic after five horses die in 10 days," 30 Aug. 2019 The bonus account is funded by a percentage of slots revenue allocated to horse racing and by a cut of overall betting at the tracks. — Doug Donovan, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland horse racing commission dominated by industry players. They manage cash awards -- and win them.," 22 Aug. 2019 But, step by step, her brand of fascism gets Trojan-horsed into viral celebrity. — Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker, "“Years and Years” Forces Us Into the Future," 22 July 2019 On Wednesday the National Veterinary Services Laboratory reported positive test results on samples submitted from two Weld County horses at different locations. — Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post, "Two horses in Weld County test positive for vesicular stomatitis; first known 2019 cases in the state," 5 July 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Now she's won the biggest race of them all, one that even non-horse racing enthusiasts turn on to watch and one that first captured Blackmore's imagination. — Steve Douglas, ajc, "Fantasy no more: Blackmore 1st woman to win Grand National," 10 Apr. 2021 This rare spread of talents means that one Macan can effectively turn your single-car garage into a multi-horse stable. — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, "2021 Porsche Macan: Car and Driver 10Best," 18 Nov. 2020 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, "29 horses have died at Santa Anita this season. It's nowhere near the track's deadliest year -- not by a long shot," 11 June 2019 Horse hooves thunder down green acres as mallets clank against polo balls in the setting sun. — Elisabeth Moughon, The Courier-Journal, "An elegant, nitty-gritty look at the Louisville Polo Club," 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, "California storm: More rain and wind on the way," 18 Feb. 2017

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.