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

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

The book warns that cheese made from dog milk would cause a woman to deliver her baby prematurely and also notes that in some places, cheese was made from the milk of camels, mares and donkeys. —Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2025

After more than an hour, the group had freed the mare from the mud, Nixon said. —Brooke Baitinger, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2025

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