horse

1 of 3

noun

ˈhȯrs 

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 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

ˈhȯr-sləs 

adjective

horselike

ˈhȯrs-ˌlīk 

adjective

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

see also from the horse's mouth

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 action …

—Bruce 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

Synonyms of horse

Noun

• stallion
• colt
• filly
• racehorse
• equine
• steed

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

In one of his first acts as mayor, Zohran Mamdani on Thursday revoked nine executive orders his predecessor, Eric Adams, issued after his federal corruption indictment, a move that undid actions pertaining to everything from antisemitism and immigration to New York City’s horse carriage industry. —Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026

Here, wild horses roam free, waves glimmer with bioluminescence, and dramatic black sands await. —Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2026

Adjective

What’s new While the Breeders’ Cup’s vast menu of win, place, show, multi-horse and multi-race bets remains the same as last year, the race order is slightly different. —Kevin Modesti, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2025

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

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

Phrases Containing horse

• a horse of a different color
• American paint horse
• Arabian horse
• beat a dead horse
• charley horse
• cow horse
• cutting horse
• dark horse
• dawn horse
• dead horse
• dray horse
• eat a horse
• flog a dead horse
• harness horse
• high horse
• horse about
• horse-and-buggy
• horse around
• horse chestnut
• horse coper
• horse-drawn
• horse gentian
• horse latitudes
• horse mackerel
• horse nettle
• horse opera
• horse race
• horse sense
• horse show
• horse trade
• iron horse
• long horse
• look a gift horse in the mouth
• one-horse
• one-horse towns
• paint horse
• pommel horse
• post-horse
• Przewalski horse
• Przewalski's horse
• put the cart before the horse
• quarter horse
• river horse
• rocking horse
• saddle horse
• side horse
• stalking horse
• stud horse
• Tennessee walking horse
• the wrong horse
• trial horse
• Trojan horse
• vaulting horse

Rhymes for horse

• bourse
• coarse
• course
• force
• gorse
• hoarse
• norse
• source
• concourse
• divorce
• endorse
• enforce

Kids Definition

horse

1 of 2 noun

ˈhȯ(ə)rs 

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

ˈhȯ(ə)rs 

plural horses also horse

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