look a gift horse in the mouth
idiom
: to look in a critical way at something that has been given to one
I noticed the guitar wasn't made of real wood, but I didn't say anything because you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Examples of look a gift horse in the mouth in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth is one of the oldest proverbs known to humankind, whinnying back at least 1,500 years.
—
Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
But, throughout this decade mirabilis, Friedman maintained his remarkable tendency to look a gift horse in the mouth.
—Krithika Varagur, The New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2024
Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but Bullfrog Bagels are definitively mid-tier on my mental list of the Best Bagels in DC.
—Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 11 Jan. 2024
This isn't the time to look a gift horse in the mouth!
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2023
Is Temu Legitimate and Reliable? Mimi Lan is not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
—Debbi Compton, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Aug. 2023
With six national championships and eight SEC titles during this run, no one wants to look a gift horse in the mouth.
—Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 23 Aug. 2022
With apprenticeships a scarce resource, no one should look a gift horse in the mouth.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2022
For now, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
—Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 13 Feb. 2022
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Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
But, throughout this decade mirabilis, Friedman maintained his remarkable tendency to look a gift horse in the mouth.
—Krithika Varagur, The New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2024
Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but Bullfrog Bagels are definitively mid-tier on my mental list of the Best Bagels in DC.
—Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 11 Jan. 2024
This isn't the time to look a gift horse in the mouth!
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2023
Is Temu Legitimate and Reliable? Mimi Lan is not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
—Debbi Compton, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Aug. 2023
With six national championships and eight SEC titles during this run, no one wants to look a gift horse in the mouth.
—Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 23 Aug. 2022
With apprenticeships a scarce resource, no one should look a gift horse in the mouth.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2022
For now, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
—Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 13 Feb. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Look a gift horse in the mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/look%20a%20gift%20horse%20in%20the%20mouth. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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