mare

1 of 3

noun (1)

: a female horse or other equine animal especially when fully mature or of breeding age

mare

2 of 3

noun (2)

ma·​re ˈmär-(ˌ)ā How to pronounce mare (audio)
plural maria ˈmär-ē-ə How to pronounce mare (audio) also mares ˈmär-(ˌ)āz How to pronounce mare (audio)
: any of several mostly flat dark areas of considerable extent on the surface of the moon or Mars

mare

3 of 3

noun (3)

obsolete
: an evil preternatural being causing nightmares

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Penny, a 3-year-old sorrel mare with a white blaze, had been slobbering her feed and fighting her bit, signs of a likely toothache. Jan Hoffman, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2023 The 6-year-old mare has won six-of-26 lifetime, including an ungraded stakes three back. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2021 Rescue crews wrestled the muscular mare named Moonie out of the mud. Brooke Baitinger, sun-sentinel.com, 13 Nov. 2020 Penny, the young mare, not only sprang back from her xylazine shot but also quickly recovered from her dental surgery. Jan Hoffman, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2023 Tang the mare ran the quarter in 34.3 seconds at 25 mph; the Mustang GT did it in 17.0 seconds at 89 mph. David Beard, Car and Driver, 18 Apr. 2023 The mare collapsed, was unresponsive and died within a few minutes. Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2022 Disney turns real boys into donkeys; Miyazaki morphs parents into pigs; the son of Jankovic’s white mare falls somewhere between a horse and a man. Jason Kehe, Wired, 18 Jan. 2021 Researchers now believe the mare was inspired by sleep paralysis. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 8 Dec. 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mare.' 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 (1)

Middle English, from Old English mere; akin to Old High German merha mare, Old English mearh horse, Welsh march

Noun (2)

New Latin, from Latin, sea — more at marine

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German mara incubus, Serbo-Croatian mora nightmare

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1860, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mare was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near mare

Cite this Entry

“Mare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mare. Accessed 10 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

mare

1 of 2 noun
ˈma(ə)r,
ˈme(ə)r
: an adult female of the horse or a related animal (as a zebra or donkey)

mare

2 of 2 noun
ma·​re
ˈmär-ā
plural maria
ˈmär-ē-ə
: any of several large dark areas on the surface of the moon or Mars
Etymology

Noun

Old English mere "a mature female horse"

Noun

scientific Latin, from Latin mare "sea"

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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