foal

[ fohl ]
See synonyms for foal on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a young horse, mule, or related animal, especially one that is not yet one year of age.

verb (used with or without object)
  1. to give birth to (a colt or filly).

Origin of foal

1
before 950; (noun) Middle English fole,Old English fola; cognate with Old High German folo (German Fohlen); akin to Latin pullus young animal, Greek pôlos foal; (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun

Other words from foal

  • un·foaled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use foal in a sentence

  • The brood mares retire with their foals to the more elevated banks, which rise like islands above the watery expanse.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
  • Many foals are drowned, and many are surprised by the crocodiles, killed by a blow from their powerful tails, and devoured.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
  • Who called you to come hither, running after me as the foals after the mare?

  • In foals, it is best to give them the run of a box stall with the mother.

    Lameness of the Horse | John Victor Lacroix
  • Large herds of them are met with at this time of the year on the Pampas, attended by a few horses, and accompanied by their foals.

    A Voyage in the 'Sunbeam' | Annie Allnut Brassey

British Dictionary definitions for foal

foal

/ (fəʊl) /


noun
  1. the young of a horse or related animal

verb
  1. to give birth to (a foal)

Origin of foal

1
Old English fola; related to Old Frisian fola, Old High German folo foal, Latin pullus young creature, Greek pōlos foal

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