high horse

American  

noun

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

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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.”

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high horse Idioms  

1. see on one's high horse.

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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

Why must we sit up on our high horse and act like books are the one thing you can never get rid of?

From Salon • Apr. 5, 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

“Sometimes college students don’t understand the severity of things,” Oats said from his high horse following the game.

From Washington Post • Mar. 1, 2023

“I know. We’ll all hang separately. But Rachel needs to get off her high horse, too. She’s never lifted a finger around here and now all of a sudden she’s the Little Red Hen?”

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver