workhorse

work·horse | \ ˈwərk-ˌhȯrs

How to pronounce workhorse (audio)

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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 Wüsthof Gourmet Chef's Knife Wüsthof’s versatile high-carbon steel chef’s knife is a kitchen workhorse that will be indispensable for years to come with a sturdy, eight-inch blade. — NBC News, "Best kitchen knives and how to buy them, according to experts," 24 June 2020 Originally built to be a workhorse, the Range Rover has evolved into a status symbol for the wealthy. — Mihir Maddireddy, Car and Driver, "Range Rover Celebrates 50 Years with Exclusive Limited Edition," 18 June 2020 But the real workhorse behind the rise of SpaceX over the last decade is undoubtedly the Falcon 9 rocket. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Forget Dragon, the Falcon 9 rocket is the secret sauce of SpaceX’s success," 3 June 2020 But instead of relying on someone like Dobbins to be a workhorse in games that matter most, the Buckeyes will put that responsibility on the arm of Justin Fields. — Stephen Means, cleveland, "Ohio State football needs its running backs to be its version of Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Travis Etienne: Buckeye Take," 2 June 2020 As expected, sales tax, the state’s revenue workhorse, got clobbered. — Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, "Texas’ sales tax haul drops by biggest percentage in a decade, signaling budget crisis," 1 June 2020 In the process, Milwaukee also lost starter Ben Sheets, who had been a workhorse during the season, to a torn elbow ligament. — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "50 in 50: Ryan Braun sends Brewers back to playoffs after 26 years," 11 May 2020 Pittman was a workhorse back, gaining more than 1,200 yards on the ground in both 2005 and 2006. — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland, "Favorite Ohio State Buckeye bracket updates: Beanie Wells vs. Mike Nugent, results of punter play-in showdown," 17 Mar. 2020 Pho Oregon, a cavernous Vietnamese restaurant in the dip between I-84 and Madison High School, is Portland’s weekend morning workhorse, a busy restaurant with the vibe of a big-city phở house. — oregonlive, "Portland’s 40 best inexpensive restaurants," 11 Mar. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

29 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Workhorse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/workhorse. Accessed 10 Jul. 2020.

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