mare

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈmer 

: 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 

plural maria ˈmär-ē-ə  also mares ˈmär-(ˌ)āz 

: 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

Examples of mare in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Any critical observer of rodeos would’ve predicted that mare’s excruciatingly painful death. —U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025

There’s no better example of that than in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic, featuring the unbeaten mare Zenyatta. —Jay Posner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025

Eastman’s report said the mare died during his initial physical exam. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025

This led to the lunar mare basalt — dark volcanic rock — wrinkling like the skin of a shriveling old apple. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 3 Feb. 2025

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

Phrases Containing mare

• flying mare
• mare clausum
• mare liberum
• mare nostrum
• mare's nest
• mare's tail
• shank's mare

Rhymes for mare

• air
• ayre
• bahr
• bare
• blare
• care
• chair
• claire
• ere
• err
• eyre
• fair

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"