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• colt
  colt

  noun

  a young male animal of the horse family.
• Colt
  Colt

  a brand of revolver.

colt

¹ American  

[kohlt] / koʊlt /

noun

1. a young male animal of the horse family.

2. a male horse of not more than four years of age.

3. a young or inexperienced person.

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Colt ² American  

[kohlt] / koʊlt /

Trademark.

1. a brand of revolver.

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Colt ³ American  

[kohlt] / koʊlt /

noun

1. Samuel, 1814–62, U.S. inventor of the Colt revolver.

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colt ¹ British  

/ kəʊlt /

noun

1. a male horse or pony under the age of four

2. an awkward or inexperienced young person

3. sport

   1. a young and inexperienced player

   2. a member of a junior team

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Colt ² British  

/ kəʊlt /

noun

1. a type of revolver, pistol, etc

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Etymology

Origin of colt

before 1000; Middle English, Old English; compare dialectal Swedish kult little pig

Explanation

A colt is a male horse that's younger than four years old. When your colt is older than four, you can call him a stallion, gelding, or simply a horse. There are many terms for horses, depending what age they are and whether they're male or female. While colt can only refer to a young male, and a female of a similar age would be called a filly, you can talk about a horse of either sex that's between one and two years old as a yearling. The word colt comes directly from Old English, and it originally meant "young ass," or "young camel."

Example Sentences

It was the first victory by the colt since his wife’s death, and it also meant the Monrovia resident would have a horse in the Kentucky Derby for the first time.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026

But Sergio de Sousa, managing partner at Hidden Brook, suggested Essential Quality, a champion colt at 2 and 3 at the start of this decade.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

The 3-year-old colt trained by Mark Glatt gives his family some comfort after the death of his wife in February with a 2 3/4-length defeat of Potente.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026

Baffert said Potente would start once more before the Derby; one possibility is the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 4, a race in which another Baffert colt, Cherokee Nation, is expected to run.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026

The colt was, said the trainer, “a pretty nice hoss, the kind that might take some time to get going, but would take a lot of beating when he did.”

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• filly