hoof

American  

[hoof, hoof] / hʊf, huf /

noun

• hoofs,
  plural
• hooves,
  plural
• hoof
  plural

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

2. the entire foot of a horse, donkey, etc.

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

4. Informal. the human foot.

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verb (used with object)

1. Slang. to walk (often followed byit ).

   Let's hoof it to the supermarket.

verb (used without object)

1. Slang. to dance, especially to tap-dance.

   He's been hoofing at the Palladium.

idioms

1. on the hoof, (of livestock) not butchered; live.

   The city youngsters were seeing lambs on the hoof for the first time.

hoof British  

/ huːf /

noun

1. 1. the horny covering of the end of the foot in the horse, deer, and all other ungulate mammals

   2. ( in combination )

      a hoofbeat

2. the foot of an ungulate mammal

3. a hoofed animal

4. facetious a person's foot

5. 1. (of livestock) alive

   2. in an impromptu manner

      he did his thinking on the hoof

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verb

1. (tr) to kick or trample with the hoofs

2. slang

   1. to walk

   2. to dance

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hoofiness
  noun
• hoofless
  adjective
• hooflike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hoof
  plural
• hoofs
  plural
• hooves
  plural

Etymology

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

Explanation

A foot is to a human what a hoof is to a horse, a goat, or a giraffe. Each hoof protects the animal and helps it to walk and run. A hoof is made of keratin, just like your fingernails, but it tends to be thicker and harder since it has to bear the weight of the animal. Hoof can also be a verb that, surprisingly enough, applies to humans. Maybe you have offered someone a ride, only to be told, "No, I think I'll just hoof it," meaning walk or otherwise go on foot. Hoof is sometimes substituted for dance if the person doing it is getting paid.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hoof hoofs hooves

Each chapter surveys the hoof, trunk or some other segment of the conceptual elephant in more or less chronological progression and finishes with a brief summary of what readers ought to take away.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Discuss shoeing and hoof care options with a farrier.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

Foot-and-mouth causes fever and blisters near the hoof and in the mouth that prevent animals from feeding, as seen in the emaciated survivors.

From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026

The tips of each of the three hind toes were enclosed in a wedge-shaped hoof with a flat underside, similar to that of a horse.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2025

You should have seen how the Horse shook its mane and how its nostrils widened, and the little tap it gave the ground with one back hoof.

From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis

She knows she can nail this role and she really hoofs it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025

“There are scenes with galloping horses in the film, and the sound of the hoofs will match the rhythm of the music,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2024

They’ve already had a decent penalty appeal turned down and now they had a free-kick right on the edge of the D. Tom Lawrence hoofs it straight into the wall.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 19, 2022

The side effects they dreaded were far more terrifying: blindness, deafness, ulcers, a gruesome skin condition called “cowpox mange” — even sprouting hoofs and horns.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2021

The fog closed in briefly, and when it thinned the caribou was poised above Amaroq, his cleaver-like hoofs aimed at his head.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George

The horses are characterised by their "large size, long legs, well-developed musculature, slender and elegant head -- set on a long, straight neck -- expressive eyes, high withers and sturdy hooves," he added.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

The list of wonders begins with the Quiet Storm: the handbuilt 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, summoning 577 ghostly horses with soft-soled trainers on their hooves, galloping across the countryside and destroying driving records.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

If the clomping hooves from the first horseman’s approaching steed got too loud, we’d just turn the music up.

From Salon ● Dec. 21, 2025

Villagers have awoken to a replica pony standing tall in place of a bronze metal statue which was cut down to its hooves last summer.

From BBC ● May 30, 2025

He shrinks as coarse hair grows on his arms and legs, and his feet turn into cow hooves.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Related Words

• paw