horse

[ hawrs ]

/ hɔrs /

noun, plural hors·es, (especially collectively) horse.

a large, solid-hoofed, herbivorous quadruped, Equus caballus, domesticated since prehistoric times, bred in a number of varieties, and used for carrying or pulling loads, for riding, and for racing.

a fully mature male animal of this type; stallion.

any of several odd-toed ungulates belonging to the family Equidae, including the horse, zebra, donkey, and ass, having a thick, flat coat with a narrow mane along the back of the neck and bearing the weight on only one functioning digit, the third, which is widened into a round or spade-shaped hoof.

something on which a person rides, sits, or exercises, as if astride the back of such an animal: rocking horse.

Also called trestle. a frame, block, etc., with legs, on which something is mounted or supported.

Gymnastics.

Carpentry. carriage(def 7).

soldiers serving on horseback; cavalry: a thousand horse.

Slang. a man; fellow.

Often horses. Informal. horsepower.

horses, Slang. the power or capacity to accomplish something, as by having enough money, personnel, or expertise: Our small company doesn't have the horses to compete against a giant corporation.

Chess Informal. a knight.

Slang. a crib, translation, or other illicit aid to a student's recitation; trot; pony.

Mining. a mass of rock enclosed within a lode or vein.

Nautical. traveler(def 6b).

Shipbuilding. a mold of a curved frame, especially one used when the complexity of the curves requires laying out at full size.

Slang. heroin.

verb (used with object), horsed, hors·ing.

to provide with a horse or horses.

to set on horseback.

to set or carry on a person's back or on one's own back.

Carpentry. to cut notches for steps into (a carriage beam).

to move with great physical effort or force: It took three men to horse the trunk up the stairs.

Slang.

to make (a person) the target of boisterous jokes.
to perform boisterously, as a part or a scene in a play.

Nautical.

to caulk (a vessel) with a hammer.
to work or haze (a sailor) cruelly or unfairly.

Archaic. to place (someone) on a person's back, in order to be flogged.

verb (used without object), horsed, hors·ing.

to mount or go on a horse.

(of a mare) to be in heat.

Vulgar. to have coitus.

adjective

of, for, or pertaining to a horse or horses: the horse family; a horse blanket.

drawn or powered by a horse or horses.

mounted or serving on horses: horse troops.

unusually large.

Verb Phrases

horse around, Slang. to fool around; indulge in horseplay.

Nearby words

horrors, hors concours, hors d'oeuvre, hors de combat, horsa, horse, horse around, horse balm, horse bean, horse block, horse brass

Idioms

back the wrong horse, to be mistaken in judgment, especially in backing a losing candidate.

beat/flog a dead horse, to attempt to revive a discussion, topic, or idea that has waned, been exhausted, or proved fruitless.

from the horse's mouth, Informal. on good authority; from the original or a trustworthy source: I have it straight from the horse's mouth that the boss is retiring.

hold one's horses, Informal. to check one's impulsiveness; be patient or calm: Hold your horses! I'm almost ready.

horse of another color, something entirely different.Also horse of a different color.

look a gift horse in the mouth, to be critical of a gift.

To horse! Mount your horse! Ride!

Origin of horse

before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English hors; cognate with Old Norse hross, Dutch ros, German Ross (Middle High German ros, Old High German hros); (v.) Middle English horsen to provide with horses, Old English horsian, derivative of the noun

Related forms

horse·less, adjectivehorse·like, adjectiveun·der·horse, verb (used with object), un·der·horsed, un·der·hors·ing.

Can be confused

hoarse horse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for back the wrong horse

horse

/ (hɔːs) /

noun

a domesticated perissodactyl mammal, Equus caballus, used for draught work and riding: family EquidaeRelated adjective: equine

the adult male of this species; stallion

wild horse

a horse (Equus caballus) that has become feral
another name for Przewalski's horse

any other member of the family Equidae, such as the zebra or ass
(as modifier)the horse family

(functioning as plural) horsemen, esp cavalrya regiment of horse

short for Baja California Norte

a narrow board supported by a pair of legs at each end, used as a frame for sawing or as a trestle, barrier, etc

a contrivance on which a person may ride and exercise

a slang word for heroin

mining a mass of rock within a vein of ore

nautical a rod, rope, or cable, fixed at the ends, along which something may slide by means of a thimble, shackle, or other fitting; traveller

chess an informal name for knight

informal short for horsepower

(modifier) drawn by a horse or horsesa horse cart

a horse of another colour or a horse of a different colour a completely different topic, argument, etc

be on one's high horse or get on one's high horse informal to be disdainfully aloof

flog a dead horse See flog (def. 6)

hold one's horses to hold back; restrain oneself

horses for courses a policy, course of action, etc modified slightly to take account of specific circumstances without departing in essentials from the original

the horse's mouth the most reliable source

to horse! an order to mount horses

verb

(tr) to provide with a horse or horses

to put or be put on horseback

(tr) to move (something heavy) into position by sheer physical strength

Derived Forms

horseless, adjectivehorselike, adjective

Word Origin for horse

Old English hors; related to Old Frisian hors, Old High German hros, Old Norse hross

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with back the wrong horse (1 of 2)

back the wrong horse

Also, bet on the wrong horse. Guess wrongly or misjudge a future outcome, as in Jones garnered only a few hundred votes; we obviously backed the wrong horse, or Counting on the price of IBM to rise sharply was betting on the wrong horse. Transferred from wagering money on a horse that fails to win the race, a usage dating from the late 1600s, this term is widely applied to elections and other situations of uncertain outcome.

Idioms and Phrases with back the wrong horse (2 of 2)

horse

In addition to the idioms beginning with horse

horse around
horse of a different color, a
horse sense
horse trading

also see:

back the wrong horse
beat a dead horse
cart before the horse
change horses in midstream
charley horse
dark horse
eat like a bird (horse)
from the horse's mouth
hold one's horses
if wishes were horses
look a gift horse in the mouth
on one's high horse
war horse
wild horses couldn't drag
work like a beaver (horse)
you can lead a horse to water

horse

noun, plural hors·es, (especially collectively) horse.

verb (used with object), horsed, hors·ing.

verb (used without object), horsed, hors·ing.

adjective

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of horse

Related forms

Can be confused

British Dictionary definitions for back the wrong horse

horse

noun

verb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for horse

Idioms and Phrases with back the wrong horse (1 of 2)

back the wrong horse

Idioms and Phrases with back the wrong horse (2 of 2)

horse