handicapper
Americannoun
-
Horse Racing.
-
a racetrack official or employee who assigns the weight a horse must carry in a race.
-
a person employed, as by a newspaper, to make predictions on the outcomes of horse races.
-
-
a person who determines the handicaps that will be placed on competitors.
noun
-
an official appointed to assign handicaps to competitors in such sports as golf and horse racing
-
a newspaper columnist employed to estimate the chances that horses have of winning races
Etymology
Origin of handicapper
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.
Every horse in training is giving an official rating by the handicapper based on the level that they run to.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
But what made Siegel a must-know personality in racing was his ability as a handicapper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2025
Harris enters election day presumed to capture 226 votes from Democratic-leaning states, according to the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2024
Been given a chance by the handicapper, carrying 6lb less this time.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2023
He stormed around the office and shouted about the irresponsibility of the handicapper.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
![]()
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.