cayuse
noun
a horse, especially an Indian pony.
cayuse
1 American
[kahy-yoos, kahy-oos]
/ kaɪˈjus, ˈkaɪ us /
noun
-
Western U.S. a horse, especially an Indian pony.
-
Also called cayuse wind. Northwestern U.S. a cold wind blowing from the east.
Cayuse
2
American
[kahy-yoos, kahy-oos]
/ kaɪˈjus, ˈkaɪ us /
noun
-
Cayuses,
plural
-
Cayuse
plural
cayuse
British
/ ˈkaɪuːs /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cayuse
1830–40, named after the Cayuse
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.
See Examples For:
But he did not get to Nevada on his cayuse.
From Time Magazine Archive
We were not under the necessity of being 'grub-staked' by anyone, or more ostentatiously on the hurricane deck of a cayuse.
From Time Magazine Archive
Billy’s own horse was a stringy cayuse with a hammer head, but he nearly always won first prize at the stock trials.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
That was all th' fault of this ornery cayuse.
From Hopalong Cassidy by Clarence E. Mulford
"That ugly cayuse went an' pitched when you wasn't lookin' for it," he told her.
From Hopalong Cassidy by Clarence E. Mulford
Other plots involve bandits, guns and an Indigenous tribe, the Cayuse, about to sign a treaty and a rebel faction out to scotch it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025
Enjoy the road’s bounty of summer wildflowers as it takes travelers from the Paradise entrance to Cayuse Pass.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 24, 2024
A variety of Indigenous cultures, including the Molalla, Kalapuya, Tenino, Wasco, Klamath, Northern Paiute and Cayuse, probably used the area for trading, hunting and the collection of plants.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 28, 2023
Heavy snow and wet conditions in the Olympic and Cascade mountains led to WSDOT’s decision to close the Chinook and Cayuse passes for the season starting Wednesday.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2021
The Cayuse Indians, among whom this mission is established, had freely communicated to Mr. Geiger, whom they esteemed as their friend, all they knew concerning it.
From A History of Oregon, 1792-1849 Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic Information by William Henry Gray
But it could not cope with the fresh horses of the Cayuses, and they gained steadily.
From The Bridge of the Gods A Romance of Indian Oregon. 19th Edition. by Frederic Homer Balch
But in spite of oratory, zeal, and argument, nothing could overcome the influence of Kamiakin, Owhi, Quelchen, Five Crows, and others of the Yakimas and Cayuses.
From The Columbia River Its History, Its Myths, Its Scenery, Its Commerce by William Denison Lyman
It bore a messenger from Multnomah, who had seen the Cayuses as soon as they emerged on the beach.
From The Bridge of the Gods A Romance of Indian Oregon. 19th Edition. by Frederic Homer Balch
Mrs. Whitman’s remains, such portions of them as could be found, are buried not far from the place of her labors among the Cayuses.
From A History of Oregon, 1792-1849 Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic Information by William Henry Gray
Those in front shrank back from the iron warriors of Multnomah, those in the rear wavered before the fierce Cayuses.
From The Bridge of the Gods A Romance of Indian Oregon. 19th Edition. by Frederic Homer Balch
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.
