workhorse

noun

work·​horse ˈwərk-ˌhȯrs 

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 sense 7

Examples of workhorse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Right now, Amazon is offering a special coupon to grab this workhorse of a bag as part of its early Black Friday sale. —Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 23 Nov. 2025

Legacy was led by workhorse running back Hayes Hamm, who picked up 143 tough yards on the ground on 41 carries. —Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Nov. 2025

Unfortunately, if Stevenson returns at full strength, Henderson’s ceiling as a weekly three-down workhorse drops significantly. —Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

GPUs are the general-purpose workhorses of Nvidia and its top competitor, Advanced Micro Devices. —Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for workhorse

• concourse
• divorce
• endorse
• enforce
• indorse
• midcourse
• outsource
• perforce
• racecourse
• racehorse
• remorse
• seahorse

Kids Definition

workhorse

noun

work·​horse ˈwərk-ˌhȯ(ə)rs 

1

: a horse used for hard work (as on a farm)

2

a

: a person who does most of the work of a group task

b

: something that is useful, durable, or dependable