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
Estes Express has submitted a stalking horse bid — an offer intended to set a minimum price for assets — of $1.53 billion for Yellow’s shipment centers.
—
Peter Eavis, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2023
This stalking horse strategy is highly effective, Dr. Rocha said, adding that there are probably many other nonhuman animals using it.
—Annie Roth, New York Times, 8 Aug. 2023
Like many businessmen of the age, Welch saw the New Deal as a stalking horse for an eventual socialist takeover of the United States; the same debased and demagogic vision of the political economy that had driven him from Harvard Law was now dictating the country’s economic policy.
—Chris Lehmann, The New Republic, 23 Nov. 2021
And if there's any hesitation, another city looking to make a name for itself may become the stalking horse.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023
The price matched the Overstock stalking horse bid that set the floor at the auction, meaning nobody offered a higher bid.
—Harold Maass, The Week, 22 June 2023
Our offer was significantly more than the stalking horse bid by the sellers.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 22 June 2023
And second, expansion has provided a whole stable of stalking horses.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023
When American officials questioned Germany’s growing reliance on Russian natural gas, activists—not to mention the Germans themselves—saw their concerns as a stalking horse for the U.S. fossil-fuel industry, which wanted to turn Germany into a customer.
—Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2022
Peter Eavis, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2023
This stalking horse strategy is highly effective, Dr. Rocha said, adding that there are probably many other nonhuman animals using it.
—Annie Roth, New York Times, 8 Aug. 2023
Like many businessmen of the age, Welch saw the New Deal as a stalking horse for an eventual socialist takeover of the United States; the same debased and demagogic vision of the political economy that had driven him from Harvard Law was now dictating the country’s economic policy.
—Chris Lehmann, The New Republic, 23 Nov. 2021
And if there's any hesitation, another city looking to make a name for itself may become the stalking horse.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023
The price matched the Overstock stalking horse bid that set the floor at the auction, meaning nobody offered a higher bid.
—Harold Maass, The Week, 22 June 2023
Our offer was significantly more than the stalking horse bid by the sellers.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 22 June 2023
And second, expansion has provided a whole stable of stalking horses.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023
When American officials questioned Germany’s growing reliance on Russian natural gas, activists—not to mention the Germans themselves—saw their concerns as a stalking horse for the U.S. fossil-fuel industry, which wanted to turn Germany into a customer.
—Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2022
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 19 Apr. 2024.
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