horse

\ 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 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

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 His company makes a product collected from horse birth tissue without harm to the animals called RenoVō. — Amanda Morris, azcentral, "3 Arizona startups compete in international bioscience competition," 11 June 2020 The new company would focus on growing revenues at Indiana properties reopened to the public, growing and improving horse racing in Indiana, and support the expansion of table games at Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand. — Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, "Indiana Gaming Commission green lights Eldorado, Caesars merger," 11 July 2020 Last year, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts drew national attention by unveiling a statue by artist Kehinde Wiley that depicts a modern African American man on a horse in a pose modeled after the Stuart statue. — Washington Post, "Work crews prepare to remove Richmond’s statue of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart," 7 July 2020 Jerry Simms, owner of the north Phoenix horse racing venue Turf Paradise, recently donated $1 million to Republican Gov. Doug Ducey’s AZ Coronavirus Relief Fund intended to address the pandemic's impact in Arizona. — Caitlin Mcglade, The Arizona Republic, "See the Arizona businesses, churches and nonprofits that got Paycheck Protection Program loans," 6 July 2020 Following the museum's request to remove the statue, which features the nation's 26th President on a horse with a Native American man on standing on one side and an African man standing on the other, the mayor's office announced the approval. — Hollie Silverman, CNN, "Theodore Roosevelt statue will be removed from front steps of the Museum of Natural History," 22 June 2020 Peter walking in the woods, Peter on a horse, Peter on a bus watching the Louisiana plains go by, Peter sitting in the shade writing poetry. — Tiana Reid, The New York Review of Books, "Searching for Freedom in ‘Cane River’ and the Black Outdoors," 20 June 2020 Drones lurk above agents who are on foot, in their vehicles, on an ATV, or on a horse. — Anna Giaritelli, Washington Examiner, "Teen arrested after $26K of meth flown over Mexican border by drone," 5 June 2020 An NBC News photo of a protester giving a fist bump to an officer on a horse in Louisville went viral as well. — Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, "From tense to touching moments, here's how Louisville's protests went down Sunday night," 1 June 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 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.