horse

1 of 3

noun

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
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
horseless adjective
horselike adjective

Illustration of horse

Illustration of horse
  • 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

horse

2 of 3

verb

horsed; horsing

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 actionBruce Catton

intransitive verb

of a mare : to be in heat or estrus

horse

3 of 3

adjective

1
a
: 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
Phrases
from the horse's mouth
: from the original source

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
Along with dogs, the parasite has been known to infect raccoons and horses. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Queen Elizabeth was a regular at races like the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot throughout her record reign, breeding various champion horses and reportedly earning millions in prize money through the years. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024 Akbar, his beneficent Creator, hears his prayer and gives him the apocalypse, replete with wild horses, smoke, and flowers raining from the sky. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024 Provisions in the law for the commission to regulate statewide betting on horse races and to set rules for live horse racing also will be implemented in the future. Gary D. Robertson, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024 On March 8, the pair officially made their public debut at The American Performance Horseman in Arlington, Texas—and the photos from the equine sporting event look like movie stills from every horse girl's dream rom-com. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 9 Mar. 2024 The Nomad slightly slower than the Alfa, reaching up to just 120 horses with a 62-mile range. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024 The burrowing animals forage grass the livestock rely on and their holes can injure horses and cattle. Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 To develop most antivenoms, scientists inject horses or other animals with doses of the snake venom and harvest the antibodies their immune systems produce as a result—a process that is both dangerous and limiting. Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Also, in the case of multi-horse wagers, there can be a consolation payoff if nobody has a perfect ticket. Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, 24 Jan. 2023 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

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'horse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Verb, and Adjective

Middle English hors, from Old English; akin to Old High German hros horse

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of horse was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near horse

Cite this Entry

“Horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horse. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

horse

1 of 2 noun
plural horses also horse
1
a
: a large hoofed grazing domestic mammal that is used to carry or draw loads and for riding
b
: a male horse : stallion
2
a
: a frame that supports something (as wood while being cut)
b
: a piece of gymnasium equipment used for balancing and swinging movements or for vaulting exercises
3
horse plural : cavalry
horse adjective

horse

2 of 2 verb
horsed; horsing
: to provide with a horse

Medical Definition

horse

noun
plural horses also horse
: a large solid-hoofed herbivorous mammal of the genus Equus (E. caballus) domesticated since prehistoric times

More from Merriam-Webster on horse

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