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gelding

American  
[gel-ding] / ˈgɛl dɪŋ /

noun

  1. a castrated male animal, especially a horse.

  2. a eunuch.

gelding British  
/ ˈɡɛldɪŋ /

noun

  1. a castrated male horse

"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

Etymology

Origin of gelding

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Old Norse word geldingr. See geld 1, -ing 3

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.

The six-year-old gelding scored its biggest win to date at the Bart Cummings over 2,520m at Flemington last month, before a third behind Half Yours at the Caulfield Cup.

From Barron's • Nov. 3, 2025

Will the gelding be above or below par?

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2025

Danish, fresh from politically gelding Roy in public, recognizes this advantage too.

From Salon • Jan. 3, 2024

In the final race of the day, a non-Breeders’ Cup race, Bus Buzz, a 3-year-old gelding, was pulled up by jockey Edwin Maldonado in mid-stretch and the horse was vanned off.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2023

The gelding was mine, a gift from a great-uncle on my mother’s side.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

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.