hoof

[ hoof, hoof ]

/ hʊf, huf /

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See synonyms for: hoof / hoofed / hoofing / hooves on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural hoofs or hooves

[hoovz, hoovz] /hʊvz, huvz/ for 1, 2, 4; hoof for 3.

the horny covering protecting the ends of the digits or encasing the foot in certain animals, as the ox and horse.

the entire foot of a horse, donkey, etc.

Older Use. a hoofed animal, especially one of a herd.

Informal. the human foot.

verb (used with object)

Slang. to walk (often followed by it): Let's hoof it to the supermarket.

verb (used without object)

Slang. to dance, especially to tap-dance: He's been hoofing at the Palladium.

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Idioms about hoof

plural hoof.

on the hoof, (of livestock) not butchered; live: The city youngsters were seeing lambs on the hoof for the first time.

Origin of hoof

First recorded before 1000; Middle English (noun); Old English hōf; cognate with Old Frisian hōf, Dutch hoef, German Huf, Old Norse hōfr; compare Sanskrit śaphas

OTHER WORDS FROM hoof

hoof·i·ness, nounhoofless, adjectivehooflike, adjective

Words nearby hoof

Hoodooism, hood rat, hoodwink, hoodwinked, hooey, hoof, hoof-and-mouth disease, hoofbeat, hoofbound, hoofed, hoofer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hoof in a sentence

Digging its hooves into the ground, the beast came to a halt just before it would have gored the man.
Can Machines Control Our Brains?|R. Douglas Fields|May 17, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Dead, dry pieces of this fire fungus can be used in the same ways as horse hoof fungus, and they also make a nice long match.
The two types of fungi you want in your fire-starting kit|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|February 16, 2021|Popular-Science
The species produces fist-sized polypore fruit bodies, which are shaped like a horse’s hoof.
The two types of fungi you want in your fire-starting kit|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|February 16, 2021|Popular-Science
One runner in Houston now has a permanent, hoof-shaped scar in the center of his forehead.
Chicago’s Running of the Bulls|Hampton Stevens|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Another case involved a horse working with an infected hoof.
De Blasio Whipped by Horse Lobby|Josh Robin|March 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What about the elevators—will I have to hoof it up nine flights to get home?
The Scariest Thing About Sandy: Guarding the Water Supply|Kent Sepkowitz|October 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
By horseback and hoof, Twain takes us from the Mormon Theocracy of Utah to the wide-open craziness in the Sierra mining fields.
Book Bag: Timothy Egan’s Five Favorite Travel Books|Timothy Egan|October 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Instead of worrying about taking a cow hoof to the crotch, perhaps Williams should just “relax and enjoy it.”
Rep. Todd Akin & 7 More Crazy Rape Statements|Lizzie Crocker|August 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
For instance, the guy that was kicked by a mule, he had a hoof mark on his head and his mule had a bloody hoof.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Black Hoof was there with a large force, but he could not tarry without leaving the Scioto towns uncovered.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter
Black Hoof with a lightning gesture raised his ax and struck Dale with the flat of it, sending him crashing to the ground.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter
By daylight I perceived by the signs that the greater number of the band had gone ahead, probably under the lead of Black Hoof.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter
While they were thus mocking me Black Hoof appeared, moving with great dignity, and dispersing my tormentors with a gesture.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter

British Dictionary definitions for hoof

hoof

/ (huːf) /

noun plural hooves (huːvz) or hoofs

the horny covering of the end of the foot in the horse, deer, and all other ungulate mammals
(in combination)a hoofbeat Related adjective: ungular

the foot of an ungulate mammal

a hoofed animal

facetious a person's foot

on the hoof

(of livestock) alive
in an impromptu mannerhe did his thinking on the hoof

verb

(tr) to kick or trample with the hoofs

hoof it slang

to walk
to dance

Derived forms of hoof

hoofless, adjectivehooflike, adjective

Word Origin for hoof

Old English hōf; related to Old Norse hōfr, Old High German huof (German Huf), Sanskrit saphás

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

hoof

Idioms about hoof

Origin of hoof

OTHER WORDS FROM hoof

Words nearby hoof

Words related to hoof

How to use hoof in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hoof

Derived forms of hoof

Word Origin for hoof