Thesaurus results for CHARLEY HORSE

charley horse

noun

ˈchär-lē-ˌhȯrs

Definition of charley horse

as in cramp

a painful sudden tightening of a muscle had to stop and rest because of a charley horse in his leg

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of charley horse Of course, our new life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies and charley horses. — Danielle Kraese, New Yorker, 24 July 2025 After walking Jung Hoo Lee on five pitches to lead off the seventh, Gore left the game alongside a trainer in the middle of a plate appearance against Matt Chapman due to a charley horse in his left leg. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 May 2025 Leg cramps, sometimes called charley horses, are sudden, involuntary muscle contractions that cause intense shooting pain that lasts seconds to minutes. — Amy Brownstein, Ms, Rdn, Verywell Health, 31 Oct. 2024 More commonly known as a charley horse, a nighttime leg cramp is when the muscles in a leg quickly tighten up. — Erica Lamberg, Fox News, 4 Feb. 2024 This is different than the last time, when the guy has the charley horse. — Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2023 David Della-Giustina, MD, an emergency medicine doctor and professor of emergency medicine at Yale School of Medicine, says those heat cramps feel like a muscle spasm, or what's known as a charley horse. — Leah Groth, Health.com, 17 June 2020

Recent Examples of Synonyms for charley horse

Noun

Lemon myrtle has the highest citral content of any plant in the world, which is why lemon myrtle tea is so powerfully antiseptic, antibacterial, and antioxidant, while anise myrtle helps with stomach cramps and chest congestion.

— Liam Freeman, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2026
Symptoms can be severe stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, which may be bloody, the health department said.

— Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of cramp

Noun

Another worker accidentally sliced his arm while moving a heavy interlocker machine, requiring 13 stitches.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026
Hedren had also suffered two fractures, skin grafts and gangrene when she was thrown by an elephant and needed 38 stitches after she was bitten on the back of her head by a lion.

— Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of stitch

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charlatans

charley horse

charley horses

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“Charley horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charley%20horse. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of charley horse

noun

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