horse race

noun

Definition of horse racenext
1
as in ball game

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in photo finish

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for horse race
  1. ball game
  2. photo finish
  3. confrontation
  4. toss-up
  5. war
  6. duel
  7. combat
  8. contention
Noun
  • Believe it or not, dressing for 50-degree weather is a whole different ball game than dressing for 60.
    — Amanda Le, InStyle, 2 Nov. 2026
  • If Britney Spears can hire ghostwriters to help turn her partial memories into polished prose, why does asking ChatGPT to do the same thing feel like a whole other ball game?
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of ball game
Noun
  • Briscoe held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell to win his second straight NASCAR playoff race in a photo finish on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, vaulting him into contention to earn his first Cup Series championship.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
  • But these data don't suggest a photo finish on the initiative come November so much as a rout.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of photo finish
Noun
  • Whether those negotiations can prevent another major confrontation remains unclear.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The designation could expose individuals accused of working with MI6 to prosecution under Iranian law and heighten the risk of military confrontation.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of confrontation
Noun
  • Fabrizio previously urged Republicans to campaign on lowering prescription drug prices, finding in an April 2025 poll that the issue could give GOP candidates in toss-up districts a 20-point boost.
    — Gabe Kaminsky, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Only FiftyPlusOne had rated the race as a toss-up, while nine other forecasters rated it as lean or likely Republican.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of toss-up
Noun
  • This is the day of maximal public attention to television and online news, on par with wars and natural disasters and the World Cup finals.
    — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Why has Trump provided Putin economic lifelines to continue his war against Ukraine?
    — Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of war
Noun
  • The pair had previously engaged in a quarterback duel that lasted well into fall camp, so Florida remained confident in its backup.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Her biggest liberty is a duel between Herbert Nordrum’s Colonel Brandon and Frank Dillane’s John Willoughby, which Austen mentions but keeps offstage.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of duel
Noun
  • Eight live-fire drills test joint combat capabilities The Japan Self-Defense Forces contributed approximately 45,000 personnel, while around 11,000 US troops took part.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
  • MacPherson will play Dugan, a Special Forces soldier toughened by years of combat, joining the film’s two leads.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of combat
Noun
  • Höcker, an adjutant to the camp’s commandant, did not photograph any victims, which becomes a matter of contention among the museum staff, who are wary of inspiring sympathy with the perpetrators of a genocide.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Whatever the merits of that argument, the events of the past 48 hours have almost certainly doomed his central contention.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of contention
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.

Browse Nearby Words

horsepower
horse race
horse races
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Cite this Entry

“Horse race.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horse%20race. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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