filly
Americannoun
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fillies
plural
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a young female horse.
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Informal. a girl or young woman.
noun
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a female horse or pony under the age of four
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informal a spirited girl or young woman
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of filly
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English fyly, from Old Norse fyla “female, foal”; see foal
Explanation
A filly is a young female horse. The male equivalent of a filly is a "colt." In most places, a filly is not yet four years old, although sometimes a female horse younger than five is considered a filly. Before she is a year old, a filly is also called a "foal," or a baby horse — and between the ages of one and two, she's also a "yearling." Around 1400, the word was spelled fyly, possibly from the Old Norse fylja, the feminine of foli, or "foal."
Vocabulary lists containing filly
Horsin' Around
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The Book of Unknown Americans
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Black Beauty
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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:
Pletcher knows the route well: Three of his Belmont champions did it, and the fourth, the filly Rags to Riches, was idle from the Kentucky Oaks until the Belmont.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
The filly equivalent of the Derby, the Kentucky Oaks, will be run under the lights at 5:40 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Smith said the filly “broke really well but she must have hit herself leaving the gate. She was real choppy and didn’t feel comfortable.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026
In fact Eclipse has an Eclipse, winning the 2022 3-year-old filly division with Nest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2025
But when the track came up muddy, Howard abruptly snatched Pollard off the horse and put someone else in his place, fearing that the filly might slip and jar the jockey’s leg.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Werth was primarily investing in fillies until he met trainer Danny Gargan at the Keeneland sales.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025
The party usually gets started well before the main event: On Friday, a crowd watched a race for fillies, the Kentucky Oaks.
From New York Times ● May 4, 2024
The dark brown horse was briefly the top choice before going off at 4-1 odds and staking her claim right away in the $1.5 million marquee race for 3-year-old fillies.
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
Sixteen stakes are scheduled on Sundays with five set for Saturdays, including the $50,000 Seattle Stakes for 3-year-old fillies that kicks off the stakes schedule June 15.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
It was one of Bet's fillies, and as black as a coal: you remember her, don't you, Lois?—a beauty!
From John Ward, Preacher by Margaret Wade Campbell Deland
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.
