horseshoe

noun horse·shoe \ ˈhȯrs-ˌshü , ˈhȯrsh- \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

Definition of horseshoe

1 : a usually U-shaped band of iron fitted and nailed to the rim of a horse's hoof to protect it

2 : something (such as a valley) shaped like a horseshoe

3 horseshoes plural : a game like quoits played with horseshoes or with horseshoe-shaped pieces of metal

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horseshoe

transitive verb

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horseshoer

play \ˈhȯrs-ˌshü-ər, ˈhȯrsh-\ noun

See horseshoe defined for English-language learners

See horseshoe defined for kids

Examples of horseshoe in a Sentence

The lake was a horseshoe surrounded by tall pine trees.

Recent Examples of horseshoe from the Web

Poolside activities include dive-in movies, inflatable games, horseshoes, a game truck and DJs.

— dawn gilbertson, azcentral, "12 cheapest Phoenix, Scottsdale hotel deals for summer 2018," 15 May 2018
Rental equipment includes croquet, badminton, wiffleball, lawn games, horseshoes, frisbee, sports balls, throw down bases and a volleyball/badminton net.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Enfield Edition," 15 May 2018
Starting May 4, Fridays and Saturdays at the beer garden will feature live acoustic music as well as corn hole, bocce and horseshoes.

— john-john williams iv, baltimoresun.com, "Beer garden to open at Ristorante Firenze in Reisterstown," 27 Apr. 2018
Workers switch back and forth between sewing machines and glue guns, trading spots around the horseshoe.

— heather hansman, Outside Online, "How Arc'teryx Builds the World's Priciest Jackets," 25 Apr. 2018
But those plans were scrapped in favor of a completely new, horseshoe-shaped, double-deck design expected to cost more than $200 million.

— ken goe, OregonLive.com, "Oregon State hosts the High Performance Meet at the Whyte Track & Field Center: Quick facts," 27 Apr. 2018
Olow and Gurung are both here, within 20 minutes of Ohio State University's football horseshoe, because the U.S. government has granted them safe haven.

— adam geller, Fox News, "Trump policies split some refugee families; others reunite," 27 Mar. 2018
John loved playing horseshoes, attending family picnics and his nephew's baseball games and faithfully following the NY Giants.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "John A. Payne Jr.," 26 Jan. 2018
The street names evoke its raw early days: On Calle Oficios (trades), artisans hammered leather boots and horseshoes.

— néstor martí, Smithsonian, "The Man Who Saved Havana," 18 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'horseshoe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of horseshoe

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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HORSESHOE Defined for English Language Learners

horseshoe

noun

Definition of horseshoe for English Language Learners

: a U-shaped band of iron nailed to the bottom of a horse's hoof as a shoe
: something shaped like a horseshoe
horseshoes : a game in which players try to get horseshoes around a stake in the ground by throwing them at the stake from a certain distance

HORSESHOE Defined for Kids

horseshoe

noun horse·shoe \ ˈhȯrs-ˌshü \

Definition of horseshoe for Students

1 : a protective iron plate that is nailed to the rim of a horse's hoof

2 : something shaped like a horseshoe

They put the horseshoe of roses around his neck.
—Walter Farley, The Black Stallion

3 horseshoes plural : a game in which horseshoes are tossed at a stake in the ground

Learn More about horseshoe

See words that rhyme with horseshoe Spanish Central: Translation of horseshoe Nglish: Translation of horseshoe for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about horseshoe

Seen and Heard

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horseshoe

Definition of horseshoe

horseshoe

horseshoer

Examples of horseshoe in a Sentence

Recent Examples of horseshoe from the Web

First Known Use of horseshoe

HORSESHOE Defined for English Language Learners

horseshoe

Definition of horseshoe for English Language Learners

HORSESHOE Defined for Kids

horseshoe

Definition of horseshoe for Students

Learn More about horseshoe

Seen and Heard

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horseshoe

Definition of horseshoe

horseshoe

horseshoer

Examples of horseshoe in a Sentence

Recent Examples of horseshoe from the Web

First Known Use of horseshoe

HORSESHOE Defined for English Language Learners

horseshoe

Definition of horseshoe for English Language Learners

HORSESHOE Defined for Kids

horseshoe

Definition of horseshoe for Students

Learn More about horseshoe

Seen and Heard

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Word Games

'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

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12 Words from All Over the Map

Trending: Melania Trump Undergoes 'Embolization'

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