Definition of stalking horse
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
From the M-W Editors
First Known Use of stalking horse
1519
STALKING HORSE Defined for English Language Learners
stalking horse
play
noun
Definition of stalking horse for English Language Learners
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: someone or something that is used to hide a true purpose; especially : a candidate for a political office or position who has no real chance of winning but is being used by a political party to weaken the support for an opposing party, to find out if another candidate might be successful, etc.
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