1
: a horse or a figure like a horse behind which a hunter stalks game
2
: something used to mask a purpose
3
: a candidate put forward to divide the opposition or to conceal someone's real candidacy
Examples of stalking horse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Moore was widely viewed as a stalking horse for an attack on wealth taxes.
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Ian Millhiser, Vox, 20 June 2024
The book is a mordant accounting of Hitler’s establishment enablers, from the right-wing media magnate Alfred Hugenberg to General Kurt von Schleicher, two of many characters who schemed to use him as a stalking horse for their own ambitions.
—The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
As part of these filings, Red Lobster has entered into a stalking horse purchase agreement pursuant to which Red Lobster will sell its business to an entity formed and controlled by its existing term lenders.
—Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 20 May 2024
The company announced Sunday that Red Lobster had entered into a stalking horse purchase agreement that will allow the company to sell its business to an entity controlled by its existing lenders.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for stalking horse 
Ian Millhiser, Vox, 20 June 2024
The book is a mordant accounting of Hitler’s establishment enablers, from the right-wing media magnate Alfred Hugenberg to General Kurt von Schleicher, two of many characters who schemed to use him as a stalking horse for their own ambitions.
—The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
As part of these filings, Red Lobster has entered into a stalking horse purchase agreement pursuant to which Red Lobster will sell its business to an entity formed and controlled by its existing term lenders.
—Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 20 May 2024
The company announced Sunday that Red Lobster had entered into a stalking horse purchase agreement that will allow the company to sell its business to an entity controlled by its existing lenders.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for stalking horse
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stalking horse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Stalking horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalking%20horse. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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