workhorse

noun

work·horse | \ ˈwərk-ˌhȯrs

Definition of workhorse

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

2a(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 sense 7

Examples of workhorse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fraxel Lasers like the Fraxel Restore Dual remain workhorses for ravaged skin, but new research is proving that these old tools are capable of new tricks. — Lindsay Silberman, Town & Country, "How to Reverse Sun Damage, According to Dermatologists," 16 Jan. 2019 Bread knives are also excellent workhorses for delicately leveling cakes, peeling butternut squash, sawing through watermelon rinds, and even carving a holiday roast. — Betty Gold, Good Housekeeping, "The 5 Best Bread Knives, According to Kitchen Cutlery Experts," 15 Jan. 2019 The iPad Pro can even plug into an external monitor (via a new USB-C style port also used to charge) to become a portable graphics workhorse. — Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Seattle Times, "Apple redesigns the iPad Pro, breathes new life in the MacBook Air," 30 Oct. 2018 But the Ariane 5 became a lasting workhorse that has now flown for more than two decades and will continue launching until at least the end of 2022. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "As the SpaceX steamroller surges, European rocket industry vows to resist," 20 July 2018 Smith became an effective workhorse, pitching in a league-high 78 games (3.70 ERA) that season, and veteran Zach Duke (2.45 ERA in 74 games) provided a second lefty who liked getting the ball. — Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Haudricourt: In terms of effective left-handers, the Brewers' bullpen cup runneth over," 11 May 2018 Today, conventional city buses are the workhorses of most public transit systems. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "This city has a vision for mass transit that doesn’t involve city buses," 31 Aug. 2018 Coal plants have historically served as generation workhorses, running nonstop to serve demand for power. — Katherine Blunt, WSJ, "Utilities Speed Up Closure of Coal-Fired Power Plants," 9 Jan. 2019 From toasting bread to grilling pizza, or even roasting chicken, the toaster oven is quite the diminutive workhorse in any kitchen. — Lauren Piro, Good Housekeeping, "The Best Way to Clean Your Toaster Oven," 20 Apr. 2015

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.