workhorse

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noun work·horse \ ˈwərk-ˌhȯrs \

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

Ajayi figures as the bedrock, workhorse fulcrum of this offense while the passing game provides the surrounding fireworks.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Dolphins’ Double-J offense will be enough to overcome shortcomings on D," 25 Aug. 2017
Now, the Virginia is once again serving as a workhorse: instead of hauling oil, however, the tanker is helping archeologists and geologists understand the Gulf’s submarine mudslides.

— zahra ahmad, Science | AAAS, "The Germans torpedoed a ship during World War II. The wreck is now revealing secrets about submarine mudslides," 21 Aug. 2017
Coming off an ankle injury which sidelined him for all of spring conditioning, Metzmeier was a workhorse in the Tigers' 35-28 season-opening win over Stepp's Indianapolis Cathedral Fighting Irish.

— nate bryan, The Courier-Journal, "St. X's Metzmeier just short of 2016 season yards total after first game," 19 Aug. 2017
The commercial aviation icon, the war hero, and the aerial workhorse—the Douglas DC-3.

— eric tegler, Popular Mechanics, "Eight decades after its first flight, the DC-3 remains an aviation legend.," 8 Aug. 2017
The towering rocket, generating enough power to lift 269,000 pounds into orbit, had been the workhorse of the Apollo moon missions.

— miamiherald, "New generation of giant rockets is about to blast off," 17 July 2017
Modern interior technology, class-exclusive coil-spring rear suspension, and available self-leveling air suspension (the smoothest ride on the market for carlike cruising) elevate the Ram from workhorse to dressage horse.

— emma jayne williams, star-telegram, "Ram 1500 spruces up its good looks with special night edition crew cab," 14 July 2017
Truth be told, the vehicles that get my professional admiration are the everyday ones, the dependable workhorses that shuttle our children hither and yon, the cars that become part of the family.

— tom voelk, New York Times, "Video Review: With Tough Competition, Chevrolet Equinox Holds Its Own," 13 July 2017
From baggage carousels to shifting stages at a rock concert, a motor made by SEW-Eurodrive Inc. is probably the workhorse making things move.

— craig torres, chicagotribune.com, "Why the robot takeover of the economy is proceeding slowly," 6 July 2017

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

WORKHORSE Defined for English Language Learners

workhorse

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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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