workhorse

noun work·horse \ ˈwərk-ˌhȯrs \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of workhorse

1 : a horse used chiefly for labor as distinguished from driving, riding, or racing

2 a (1) : a person who performs most of the work of a group task

(2) : a hardworking person

b : something that is markedly useful, durable, or dependable

c : horse 7

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Recent Examples of workhorse from the Web

Analysts said those tariffs would affect the existing version of the single-aisle workhorse Boeing 737, which is being phased out, and the smallest type of the replacement 737 Max, which has only a handful of orders from Chinese customers.

— doug cameron, WSJ, "Boeing Warns on U.S.-China Trade Risk," 4 Apr. 2018
He’s been called the workhorse of the team and lauded for the offseason improvement of his shot.

— sarah todd, Philly.com, "Sixers' Dario Saric stays honest, says he doesn't want to face LeBron James," 29 Mar. 2018
And third, San Francisco extended itself in bringing in Jerick McKinnon on a four-year, $30 million contract, which is a lot of money for a back who’s more jack-of-all-trades than workhorse.

— albert breer, SI.com, "Rainy Pro Day Does Nothing to Dampen Enthusiasm for Sam Darnold as Likely Top Draft Pick," 22 Mar. 2018
Behind Zanetis is the workhorse of the effort — an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "Two of ‘New York City’s bravest’ died in the line of duty — thousands of miles from home," 17 Mar. 2018
None of these anecdotes distracts from his central argument—that the silicon cell, a worthy workhorse of the solar revolution, can carry the burden only so far.

— The Economist, "The future of solar energy," 28 Mar. 2018
Senior pitcher Tiffany Giese does not mind being a workhorse for Huntley.

— paul johnson, Elgin Courier-News, "Senior ace Tiffany Giese happy to pitch in playing center field for Huntley," 27 Mar. 2018
Perennials are the dependable workhorses of our gardens, blooming year after year and often growing so big they can be divided into new plants for family, friends or those bare spots in your yard.

— jeanette marantos, latimes.com, "5 secrets to pampering your perennials now, so they bloom all year long," 24 Mar. 2018
The project’s workhorse is the Dark Energy Camera, a 570-megapixel instrument with a field of view twice as large as that of Subaru’s.

— lee billings, Scientific American, "Looking for Planet Nine, Astronomers Gaze into the Abyss," 22 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'workhorse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of workhorse

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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WORKHORSE Defined for English Language Learners

workhorse

noun

Definition of workhorse for English Language Learners

: a dependable person who does a lot of work
: a dependable machine or vehicle that is used to do a lot of work

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