stalking horse

noun

stalk·​ing horse ˈstȯ-kiŋ- How to pronounce stalking horse (audio)
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
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These firms are the stalking horse bidders, and the completion of asset sales is subject to higher and better offers. Bloomberg, Oc Register, 24 June 2025 Previously, one of its affiliates provided the troubled airline with debtor-in-possession financing while another — Argentum Acquisitions LLC — became a stalking horse bidder whose $5.775 million offer prevailed after Silver did not attract any qualified rival bids. David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2025 Alcon entered as a stalking horse bidder soon after Village Roadshow went bankrupt filing. Brent Lang, Variety, 18 June 2025 Alcon topped an earlier $353 million stalking horse bid from Content Partners when the producer and financier of a string of big film titles filed for bankruptcy a month ago. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stalking horse

Word History

First Known Use

1519, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stalking horse was in 1519

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Cite this Entry

“Stalking horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalking%20horse. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

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