mustang
Americannoun
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a small, hardy horse of the American plains, descended from Spanish stock.
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U.S. Navy Slang. a naval officer who received his commission while still an enlisted man.
verb (used without object)
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mustang
1800–10, < Spanish mestengo stray or ownerless beast, noun use of masculine adj.: pertaining to a mixed lot of beasts, equivalent to mest ( a ) such a mixed lot (< Latin ( animālia ) mixta mixed (beasts), neuter plural adj., taken as feminine singular noun; see mixed) + -engo adj. suffix
Explanation
A mustang is a type of wild horse. Most mustangs roam free in the western part of the United States. It's actually more accurate to call mustangs feral horses, since they live like wild animals but are directly descended from horses that were domesticated. These ancestors were Spanish horses brought to North America by explorers during the 1500s. The cowboys who caught and sold mustangs during the 18th and 19 centuries were known as mustangers. The word mustang comes from the Spanish mestengo, "wild, stray, or having no master."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
An evacuation center was opened at West Valley High School, at 3401 Mustang Way.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
Reporters spotted him outside loading his belongings into the back of a Mustang convertible with vanity plates “ART WAR.”
From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026
Another Reddit user said it cost them $1.59 total to charge their Ford Mustang Mach-E for six hours, reaching a battery level of 90%.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
Shlisky also noted that the Mustang Mach-E benefited from heavy discounting, higher gasoline prices, national dealer networks and tax credits that expired last September.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 17, 2026
With a big four-blade propeller and a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, the Mustang sped into the sky like a champion racehorse.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
