horse race

noun

Definition of horse racenext
1
as in ball game

Related Words

Relevance

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 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
  • Log temples atop the mounds overlooked wide plazas for ball games, ceremonies, and open-air markets.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 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
  • The race was rated as a toss-up by the Cook Political Report, and a RealClearPolitics average of two polls showed the two candidates in a dead heat.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In Colorado’s 8th, former state lawmaker Manny Rutinel flipped one of the toss-up seats after campaigning on lowering costs and opposing the administration’s immigration crackdown.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 4 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
  • The concept could eventually be considered for future Chinese combat aircraft, including the J-20 and next-gen designs commonly referred to as the J-36 and J-50.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • On the fall 2026 runways, romantic clothes arrived styled like everything else in your closet—a lace skirt with a cotton shirt, a gown with a combat boot, a ruffled collar over plain velvet trousers—and the shift is visible on the street too.
    — Laurence Goldberg, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of combat
Noun
  • Both candidates won their primaries in landslides, but Tuberville’s involved some contention.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The rapid development of data centers throughout Pennsylvania communities has also been a topic of contention among voters and political candidates ahead of Election Day.
    — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 3 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Horse race.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horse%20race. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of quondam

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All