stalking horse

noun

Definition of stalking horsenext
as in dark horse

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 stalking horse Now Lugano is going through Chapter 11 proceedings with jewelry specialist Enhanced Retail Funding standing as the stalking horse bidder to own the business afterward. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 17 Nov. 2025 Records show Indicate Capital submitted stalking horse bids multiple times in recent weeks, only to pull them and ask that an auction be pushed two weeks out. — Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025 The stalking horse bid, which sets a price floor for the assets, will be tested at auction. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025 As the stalking horse, Gordon Brothers’ bid will set the base price for all subsequent potential bidders for the assets. — Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for stalking horse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stalking horse
  1. dark horse
  2. spoiler
  3. candidate
Noun
  • As far as dark horse bets, Murakami will be popular, given his explosion into the league.
    — J.J. Bailey, New York Times, 13 July 2026
  • Speedy Ethan Bonner, the third-year player, is a dark horse starting candidate.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2026
Definition of dark horse
Noun
  • Active cooling flaps adorn the shapely nose, and there’s a jaunty active decklid spoiler.
    — Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 15 July 2026
  • In recent years, Turkey has played a spoiler within NATO, slowing down the accession of Sweden and Finland in 2023 and 2024.
    — Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 7 July 2026
Definition of spoiler
Noun
  • Under the current system, office holders targeted in a recall are barred from being a candidate to replace themselves in that same election.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • So did former Gwinnett County School Board Chairman Everton Blair, the only candidate who ran for a full term to also qualify in the special election.
    — Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of candidate

Browse Nearby Words

stalking
stalking horse
stalking horses
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stalking horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stalking%20horse. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All