horse

noun \ ˈhȯrs \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 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

For Tuesday’s semifinal between France and Belgium, 75 percent of the primary TV boards was dedicated to horse racing.

— ed barkowitz, Philly.com, "Comparing the sportsbooks at Atlantic City's Borgata and Ocean Resort ahead of the World Cup final," 11 July 2018
Hot conditions caused Ellis Park to cancel its Thursday afternoon horse-racing card after the second race, leading to six races getting canceled.

— gentry estes, The Courier-Journal, "Heat causes Ellis Park to cancel races 'for safety of horses and riders'," 5 July 2018
Every year, members of the royal family gather at the Royal Ascot, an annual horse racing festival considered a highlight of the British social season and Queen Elizabeth's favorite event of the year.

— maggie maloney, Town & Country, "How Meghan Markle's First Royal Ascot Compares to Kate Middleton's," 19 June 2018
Herro posted on his Instagram account June 13 a photo of him standing next to Justify, who just four days earlier won the Belmont Stakes in New York to win horse racing's Triple Crown.

— christopher kuhagen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Former Whitnall star basketball player Tyler Herro meets Triple Crown winner Justify in Kentucky," 13 June 2018
Justify became the 13th thoroughbred to win horse racing's Triple Crown.

— steve almasy, CNN, "Justify wins Triple Crown with dominant victory at Belmont," 9 June 2018
Justify has won the Belmont Stakes to claim the 13th Triple Crown in the history of horse racing.

— sean gregory/elmont, Time, "Justify Wins the 13th Triple Crown in Horse Racing History," 9 June 2018
Smith, who had earned the nickname Big Money Mike but had never won horse racing’s most coveted prize, was moved to tears.

— New York Times, "Simply Perfect: Justify Wins the Triple Crown," 9 June 2018
Nothing is a sure thing in horse racing, but Justify is the favorite for this year's Belmont Stakes, and rightfully so, after winning both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.

— tim brown, OregonLive.com, "Belmont Stakes 2018: Breaking down the field, who to bet and latest odds," 8 June 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.