horse race

noun

Definition of horse racenext
1
as in ball game

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in photo finish

Related Words

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
  • If high school was Little League, college is the motherfucking ball game.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Aug. 2026
  • For its fifth season, the ABC-WBTV sitcom worked with the Philadelphia Phillies for an episode that took place at a ball game.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of ball game
Noun
  • The German won the men's marathon at the European championships on Sunday morning by a whopping 7 seconds, less than a year after missing out on gold in a photo finish at the world championships in Tokyo.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • This is a very similar route to stage 11 from the 2024 Tour de France, won by Vingegaard in a photo finish ahead of Pogačar.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of photo finish
Noun
  • Bond and Best had been in a brief confrontation earlier in the evening, while talking to the same woman near the intersection of Tyson and Battle streets, officials say.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Along with their production crew, who went ahead to test internet connections, meet locals, and scout each stop, Al-Emad and Andrijasevic were less concerned with manufacturing confrontations than letting local people show them around.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of confrontation
Noun
  • The Alaska Senate race is one of five that election watchers have called a toss-up.
    — Lawrence Wilson, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Congressional District — which analysts across both aisles consider a toss-up.
    — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of toss-up
Noun
  • Alongside analysts and external observers warning that Russia’s full-scale invasion could soon enter a more dangerous phase, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to escalate the war.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Iran is expanding its defense capabilities, an Iranian army commander said Wednesday, after much of the country’s equipment was degraded by US-Israeli strikes in the early days of the war.
    — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of war
Noun
  • Martinez and former Tampa Bay starter Shane Baz were locked in a scoreless pitching duel until the sixth, when the Rays went up 3-0 after Baz got two straight outs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Back in the Premier League after nearly a decade away, Hull won 50 duels, on the ground and in the air, to United’s 35.
    — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of duel
Noun
  • Potential adversaries must account for the possibility that a carrier strike group can rapidly generate significant combat power without requiring the United States to build permanent military infrastructure at the location.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The final game promises more challenging combat than the demo.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of combat
Noun
  • The Hawkeyes could be a good team but go 0-3 and see their CFP hopes dashed, but even one victory could keep them in Playoff contention.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • That might be a problem for the Commanders because their contention is that these Redskins items are sold on a limited availability.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 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 27 Aug. 2026.

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