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
As my father continued to eat his breakfast, a strange reddish-colored horse appeared outside, dragging a cinder block on a lead line across the driveway. Matthew Klam, The New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2024 Martin Bui blesses a mustang horse named Cedar for the blessing of the animals on the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi at Saint Nicholas Catholic Church in Laguna Woods on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register, 5 Oct. 2024 The three remaining horses who were quarantined have tested negative for disease. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024 Naturally, the conversation led to Beyoncé’s latest album, Cowboy Carter–her foray into the world of horses, cowgirls, and Southern roots. Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for horse 

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 13 Oct. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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