high horse

American  

noun

1. a haughty attitude or temper; a contemptuous manner.

---

high horse Cultural  

1. To be on one's “high horse” is to be disdainful or conceited: “Sally got tired of Peter's snobbery and finally told him to get off his high horse.”

---

high horse Idioms  

1. see on one's high horse.

---

Etymology

Origin of high horse

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

Example Sentences

I have no claim to a high horse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

He’s not on a horse, he’s not on his high horse.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026

“She needs to get off her high horse and not think that I was thinking about her for the last 15 years.”

From Salon • Nov. 19, 2024

“If you don’t want to get off your high horse to see what we like, then it’s natural that you will be washed-out,” Ms. Li said.

From New York Times • Jan. 23, 2024

“Well, you’d better make peace with her. Sweet, she gets on a high horse sometimes, but she’s a good woman—” “It was about Hank and she made me mad.”

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee