neigh 1 of 2

Definition of neighnext
as in to whinny
to make the cry typical of a horse the horses neighed when the rider came into the barn

Synonyms & Similar Words

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neigh

2 of 2

noun

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 neigh
Verb
Across from them in their usual stalls stood the eight neighing horses. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025 The band joked about adding a neighing horse to the intro, and Rimes quickly inserted that sound from his plug-in collection. Tom Roland, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2024 Laughing, always laughing—at the dickey birds hopping in the tree branches, at the urchin who was burned to a crisp by an angry mob, at the slandering neighbor woman who got turned into a neighing donkey. Okwiri Oduor, Harper's Magazine, 15 June 2022 No such juvenilia intrudes upon the rather more adult-ish proceedings of the new film The Wanting Mare, in which horses neigh and stamp at the margins of a bleak, majestic world. Jason Kehe, Wired, 12 Feb. 2021 Horse trailers lined up in rows in Island Grove Regional Park, their passengers neighing indiscriminately. John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 28 July 2019 Goats and sheep staying in the barn bleated, and horses neighed as the crowd of people grew. David Anderson, baltimoresun.com, 23 July 2019 There in the the headquarters of Togo’s secret police — the notorious Research and Intelligence Service — the captives were beaten, waterboarded and forced to kneel and neigh like horses. Siobhan O'Grady, latimes.com, 4 June 2018 Across the barn, another horse was getting new shoes and neighed. Jason Nark, Philly.com, 23 Mar. 2018
Noun
From the stables, the neigh of a horse, and then, a scratching sound followed by a spark that illuminated the silhouette of a figure quickly stepping away. Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for neigh
Verb
  • In the field, Harry Truman’s Approval Rating whinnied and tossed its head, and Richard Nixon’s Approval Rating flopped on one side and emitted a horrible gurgle.
    Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Waffles, patient and unbothered as onlookers walked around and stopped to gaze, nickered as another horse on the other side of the massive stalls whinnied.
    Chris Torres, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Junior Heifers One building was filled with the almost deafening hum of high-power hair dryers and the occasional moo.
    Chris Torres, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Jan. 2026
  • How moo moo came to be be The Facebook group and the resulting moo moo movement began with a conversation between Huckins and a friend, according to both women.
    Eric D. Lawrence, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Waffles, patient and unbothered as onlookers walked around and stopped to gaze, nickered as another horse on the other side of the massive stalls whinnied.
    Chris Torres, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Jan. 2026
  • The soldiers muttered encouragement; their horses nickered.
    Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • My father mistakes it for the verb to bray, like a donkey.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Their presence draws both the news cameras and the film’s frame inside the stadium’s offices and VIP lounges, trading the real game-day footage of fans for a dramatized tour of otherwise unseen backrooms beneath the stands, all as the roar from the crowd increases outside and up above.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
  • At the press site, a pressure wave of a sonic boom came in with a double punch to the eardrums, followed by the roar of the engines from the pad only 3 miles away and the whistling echo bouncing off the massive Vehicle Assembly Building, making a sound reminiscent of bottle rockets.
    Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Honeysuckle is a multi-stem plant with light-colored bark and dark vertical stripes.
    Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Let the bark chill in the fridge, and break it into chunks once fully cooled.
    Ashley Oerman, SELF, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • This causes a blast of high-energy radiation called a gamma-ray burst (GRB), a final screech of gravitational waves, and sends out a spray of neutron-rich matter, which allows a process to occur that generates very heavy but unstable elements.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2026
  • The only noise is the dip-dip of oars and the ethereal screech of horseshoe bats.
    Tristan Rutherford, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • More squeals of support, and demands to see a picture.
    Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • However, the ultrasound revealed a surprise that would make her squeal with happiness.
    Ronnie Li, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Neigh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neigh. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.

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