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• horn
  horn

  noun

  one of the bony, permanent, hollow paired growths, often curved and pointed, that project from the upper part of the head of certain hooved mammals, as cattle, sheep, goats, or antelopes.
• Horn
  Horn

  noun

  See Cape Horn

horn

American  

[hawrn] / hɔrn /

noun

• horns
  plural

1. one of the bony, permanent, hollow paired growths, often curved and pointed, that project from the upper part of the head of certain hooved mammals, as cattle, sheep, goats, or antelopes.

2. a similar growth, sometimes of hair, as the median horn or horns on the snout of the rhinoceros, or the tusk of the narwhal.

3. antler.

4. a process projecting from the head of an animal and suggestive of such a growth, as a feeler, tentacle, or crest.

5. the bony substance of which such animal growths are composed.

6. any similar substance, as that forming tortoise shell, hoofs, nails, or corns.

7. an article made of the material of an animal horn or like substance, as a thimble, spoon, or shoehorn.

8. any projection or extremity resembling the horn of an animal.

9. something resembling or suggesting an animal horn.

   a drinking horn.

10. a part resembling an animal horn attributed to deities, demons, etc..

    the devil's horn.

11. Usually horns. the imaginary projections on a cuckold's brow.

12. Music.

    1. a wind instrument, originally formed from the hollow horn of an animal but now usually made of brass or other metal or plastic.

    2. French horn.

13. something used as or resembling such a wind instrument.

14. Slang. a trumpet.

15. an instrument for sounding a warning signal.

    an automobile horn.

16. Aeronautics. any of certain short, armlike levers on the control surfaces of an airplane.

17. Radio.

    1. a tube of varying cross section used in some loudspeakers to couple the diaphragm to the sound-transmitting space.

    2. Slang. a loudspeaker.

18. Slang. a telephone or radiotelephone.

    I've been on the horn all morning.

19. the high protuberant part at the front and top of certain saddles; a pommel, especially a high one.

20. Carpentry. (in a door or window frame) that part of a jamb extending above the head.

21. one of the curved extremities of a crescent, especially of the crescent moon.

22. a crescent-shaped tract of land.

23. a pyramidal mountain peak, especially one having concave faces carved by glaciation.

24. a symbol of power or strength, as in the Bible.

    a horn of salvation.

25. each of the alternatives of a dilemma.

26. the narrow, more pointed part of an anvil.

27. ear tuft.

28. Metalworking. a projection at the side of the end of a rolled sheet or strip, caused by unevenness of the roll due to wear.

29. Horology. (in a lever escapement) either of the two prongs at the end of the lever fork guarding against overbanking when the guard pin is in the crescent.

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verb (used with object)

• horns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• horned,
  past participle,  past
• horning
  present participle

1. to cuckold.

2. to butt or gore with the horns.

3. Shipbuilding. to set up (a frame or bulkhead of a vessel being built) at a proper angle to the keel with due regard to the inclination of the keel on the ways; plumb.

adjective

1. made of horn.

idioms

1. draw / pull in one's horns, to restrain oneself or become less belligerent; retreat.

   Since he lost so much gambling, he's drawn in his horns a bit.

2. on the horns of a dilemma, confronted with two equally disagreeable choices.

3. blow / toot one's own horn, to publicize or boast about one's abilities or achievements.

   He's a bright fellow, but likes to blow his own horn too much.

4. horn in, to thrust oneself forward obtrusively; intrude or interrupt.

   Every time we try to have a private conversation, the boss horns in.

5. lock horns, to conflict, quarrel, or disagree.

   The administration and the staff locked horns over the proposed measures.

horn ¹ British  

/ hɔːn /

noun

1. either of a pair of permanent outgrowths on the heads of cattle, antelopes, sheep, etc, consisting of a central bony core covered with layers of keratin

2. the outgrowth from the nasal bone of a rhinoceros, consisting of a mass of fused hairs

3. any hornlike projection or process, such as the eyestalk of a snail

4. the antler of a deer

5. 1. the constituent substance, mainly keratin, of horns, hooves, etc

   2. ( in combination )

      horn-rimmed spectacles

6. a container or device made from this substance or an artificial substitute

   a shoe horn

   a drinking horn

7. an object or part resembling a horn in shape, such as the points at either end of a crescent, the point of an anvil, the pommel of a saddle, or a cornucopia

8. a primitive musical wind instrument made from the horn of an animal

9. any musical instrument consisting of a pipe or tube of brass fitted with a mouthpiece, with or without valves See hunting horn French horn cor anglais

10. slang jazz any wind instrument

11. 1. a device for producing a warning or signalling noise

    2. ( in combination )

       a foghorn

12. (usually plural) the hornlike projection attributed to certain devils, deities, etc

13. (usually plural) the imaginary hornlike parts formerly supposed to appear on the forehead of a cuckold

14. Also called: horn balance.  an extension of an aircraft control surface that projects in front of the hinge providing aerodynamic assistance in moving the control

15. 1. Also called: acoustic horn.   exponential horn.  a hollow conical device coupled to the diaphragm of a gramophone to control the direction and quality of the sound

    2. any such device used to spread or focus sound, such as the device attached to an electrical loudspeaker in a public address system

    3. Also called: horn antenna.  a microwave aerial, formed by flaring out the end of a waveguide

16. geology another name for pyramidal peak

17. a stretch of land or water shaped like a horn

18. slang an erection of the penis

19. Bible a symbol of power, victory, or success

    in my name shall his horn be exalted

20. Brit equivalent: blow one's own trumpet.  to boast about oneself; brag

21. 1. to suppress or control one's feelings, esp of anger, enthusiasm, or passion

    2. to withdraw a previous statement

    3. to economize

22. 1. in a situation involving a choice between two equally unpalatable alternatives

    2. in an awkward situation

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verb

1. to provide with a horn or horns

2. to gore or butt with a horn

Horn ² British  

/ hɔːn /

noun

1. See Cape Horn

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horn Scientific  

/ hôrn /

1. Either of the bony growths projecting from the upper part of the head of certain hoofed mammals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats. The horns of these animals are never shed, and they consist of bone covered by keratin.

2. A hard growth that looks like a horn, such as an antler or a growth on the head of a giraffe or rhinoceros. Unlike true horns, antlers are shed yearly and have a velvety covering, and the horns of a rhinoceros are made not of bone but of hairy skin fused with keratin.

3. The hard durable substance that forms the outer covering of true horns. It consists of keratin.

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horn More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing horn

• blow one's own horn
• lock horns
• pull in one's horns
• take the bull by the horns

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hornlessness
  noun
• hornish
  adjective
• hornless
  adjective
• hornlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• horns
  plural

Participles

• horning
  present
• horned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• horn
  simple
• horns
  simple
• have horned
  perfect
• has horned
  perfect
• am horning
  progressive
• are horning
  progressive
• is horning
  progressive
• have been horning
  perfect progressive
• has been horning
  perfect progressive

Past

• horned
  simple
• had horned
  perfect
• was horning
  progressive
• were horning
  progressive
• had been horning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will horn
  simple
• will have horned
  perfect
• will be horning
  progressive
• will have been horning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of horn

First recorded before 900; Middle English horn(e) (noun), Old English horn; cognate with Dutch horen, Old Norse, Danish, Swedish horn, German Horn, Gothic haurn, Latin cornu “horn,” Irish, Welsh corn; akin to Greek kéras “horn” ( see cerat-); see also cornu

Explanation

A horn is an instrument that's made of metal and is played by blowing into it. Another type of horn comes out of an animal's head. Don't confuse the two and imagine a trombone sticking out of a water buffalo's head. A trumpet is one kind of horn, and another is a silly plastic noisemaker that produces a loud, honking sound. You might blow this horn at a New Year's party or a football game. Your car has a horn too, that you use to warn other drivers of your presence or express your annoyance. The horns that animals have are hard, bony bumps or projections on their heads — you'll see them on goats and bulls, for example.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

horn Horn horns horned horning

In it, the sound of the engine’s motor winds down and a horn blares, possibly warning the pilot that the main rotor speed had dropped too low or the helicopter had lost hydraulics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Meanwhile, Parker’s wife blew a horn to summon supporters from the surrounding countryside; a large group of local residents responded.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

"The bison hooked him with his left horn on his hip and tossed him in the air," Mike Macleod, who recorded the incident, told the Cowboy State Daily, a local paper.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

AFP reviewed examples offering everything from chimpanzees intended as pets to rhino horn for traditional medicine and pangolins for consumption.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

But he had seen unicorns and felt the cool of their horn against his palm.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Bach, the analyst, says such alleged arms transfers are “increasing the risk of an escalating multistate conflict that could destabilize the Horn of Africa.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Abiy, 50, has ruled the Horn of Africa country of 130 million since 2018.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

Citing the biblical book of Esther, in which a principled young woman surrounded by hatred for Jews asserts her identity to save her people, Ms. Horn makes it clear that we are at a crossroads.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

At engineering schools, Horn said, an AI major is “signaling, ‘Hey, this isn’t just coding.’”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

A German immigrant named Wilfred Horn ran the place.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Creative director Seán McGirr brought the brand back to its roots, with a runway of devil horns, lace corsets and chainmail skull dresses.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Brazil's Supreme Court has also locked horns with Big Tech, specifically Elon Musk's X, over online disinformation.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

On the one hand, Darkness’ giant black horns, glowing eyes and claws declare his absolute malice from the moment he appears onscreen, mournfully slumped on a throne.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

She laughs off critics who post pictures of her with devil horns, saying she’s really just a PTA mom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Now that darkness had fallen, a ring of fires had sprung up around it, and men with spears and birch-bark horns were keeping watch.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Also, why is that horned carrot-colored creature on the television beckoning her?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

I struck out looking for one of those ridiculous horned Viking hats and settled for a green Iraqi trucker cap.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The massive predator shared its environment with other giants, including the horned Triceratops and the duck billed herbivore Edmontosaurus.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

Tom Berendsen, managing director of production company Business/Club, this year made a Super Bowl advert for Skittles starring Elijah Wood, surreally, as a magical horned woodland creature.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

He turned his big horned head and directed a single droopy eye at Magdalys.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

The New York Times has long been horning in on what was once the Voice’s exclusive turf.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2024

Using a device to achieve the same effect was unfairly horning in on AT&T property.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2024

A few days later, after Tajik forces advanced, China issued a similar pledge with respect to Kyrgyzstan, horning in on Russia’s longstanding role as the guardian of Central Asian borders.

From New York Times ● Oct. 8, 2022

He left behind a celebrated quote: “The trouble with boxing today is that legitimate businessmen are horning in on our game.”

From The Guardian ● May 22, 2015

“That’s my lucky spot. Don’t even think about horning in.”

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

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