horse

noun

\ ˈhȯrs

How to pronounce horse (audio)

\

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 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

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

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

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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

The jackass in question was Raymond, the wild horse herd’s only mule who is notorious for his antics. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Wild Horse Herd’s Resident Mule Disrupts Traffic With Dramatic Nap, Gives Officials Quite a Fright," 17 Sep. 2019 Read this: There's a horse racing boom in Kentucky. — Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, "Iroquois winner Dennis' Moment gives Romans hope for Breeders' Cup, Kentucky Derby," 16 Sep. 2019 In addition to the East Lyme human case, Andreadis said five horses in Connecticut have now died or been euthanized because of EEE infections. — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, "Connecticut’s first human case of EEE this mosquito season is confirmed," 16 Sep. 2019 These days, he’s taken up horse therapy, grooming and walking the animals and training them to be calm in the arena. — Sig Christenson, ExpressNews.com, "After 18 years, Texas veterans wonder how long U.S. can stay in Afghanistan," 15 Sep. 2019 Non-tribal commercial operators are prohibited under the compacts from allowing gambling in Oklahoma, although a certain number of electronic gambling machines are allowed at horse racetracks. — Washington Post, "Oklahoma AG hires outside attorneys on gambling negotiations," 15 Sep. 2019 The net result, according to Porsche, is 455 horses. — Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, "Porsche’s third-generation Cayenne hybrid gets more juice, performance," 13 Sep. 2019 Scopolamine is considered a performance-enhancing drug for race horses, CBS Sports points out. — CBS News, "Justify failed drug test before winning horse racing's Triple Crown, New York Times says," 12 Sep. 2019 The Triple Crown is a title awarded to horses who win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in a single season. — Doha Madani, NBC News, "Triple Crown winning trainer denies allegations of drugging horse," 12 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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 Although this vehicle was never officially part of the USPS fleet, a handful of carriers relied on the Model-T Snowbird attachment kit to plod along snowy routes, providing an alternative to horse and sleigh. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "12 Geeky Ways to Deliver Mail: U.S. Postal Service Technology Through the Ages," 18 Jan. 2019 Segway Polo is similar to horse polo, except that, instead of horses, players cruise the field on Segways. — Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, "Meanwhile in ... Kazakhstan, an entire nation is struggling to learn a new alphabet," 7 June 2018 In the aftermath of Justify’s win in the Kentucky Derby, will horse racing ever matter in this country beyond the Triple Crown races? — Jim Lefko, San Antonio Express-News, "Sports writers discuss: Did the Saints jump the gun on UTSA's Davenport?," 11 May 2018

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, "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.

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Dictionary Entries near horse

Statistics for horse

Last Updated

13 Oct 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for horse

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

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More Definitions for horse

horse

noun

English Language Learners Definition of horse

: a large animal that is used for riding and for carrying and pulling things

: a frame used to support a piece of wood while it is being cut with a saw

: a large piece of equipment used in gymnastics

See the full definition for horse in the English Language Learners Dictionary

horse

noun

\ ˈhȯrs

\

Kids Definition of horse

1 : a large hoofed animal that feeds especially on grasses and is used as a work animal and for riding

2 : a frame that supports something (as wood while being cut)

3 : a piece of gymnasium equipment used for vaulting exercises

from the horse's mouth

: from the original source

horse

noun

\ ˈhȯ(ə)rs

\

plural horses also horse

Medical Definition of horse

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

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knackered

tired or exhausted

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