horse

[ hawrs ]

/ hɔrs /

noun, plural hors·es, (especially collectively) horse.

a large, solid-hoofed, herbivorous quadruped, Equus caballus, domesticated since prehistoric times, bred in a number of varieties, and used for carrying or pulling loads, for riding, and for racing.

a fully mature male animal of this type; stallion.

any of several perissodactyls belonging to the family Equidae, including the horse, zebra, donkey, and ass, having a thick, flat coat with a narrow mane along the back of the neck and bearing the weight on only one functioning digit, the third, which is widened into a round or spade-shaped hoof.

something on which a person rides, sits, or exercises, as if astride the back of such an animal: rocking horse.

Also called trestle. a frame, block, etc., with legs, on which something is mounted or supported.

Gymnastics.

Carpentry. carriage (def. 7).

soldiers serving on horseback; cavalry: a thousand horse.

Slang. a man; fellow.

Often horses. Informal. horsepower.

horses, Slang. the power or capacity to accomplish something, as by having enough money, personnel, or expertise: Our small company doesn't have the horses to compete against a giant corporation.

Chess Informal. a knight.

Slang. a crib, translation, or other illicit aid to a student's recitation; trot; pony.

Mining. a mass of rock enclosed within a lode or vein.

Nautical. traveler (def. 6b).

Shipbuilding. a mold of a curved frame, especially one used when the complexity of the curves requires laying out at full size.

Slang. heroin.

verb (used with object), horsed, hors·ing.

to provide with a horse or horses.

to set on horseback.

to set or carry on a person's back or on one's own back.

Carpentry. to cut notches for steps into (a carriage beam).

to move with great physical effort or force: It took three men to horse the trunk up the stairs.

Slang.

to make (a person) the target of boisterous jokes.
to perform boisterously, as a part or a scene in a play.

Nautical.

to caulk (a vessel) with a hammer.
to work or haze (a sailor) cruelly or unfairly.

Archaic. to place (someone) on a person's back, in order to be flogged.

verb (used without object), horsed, hors·ing.

to mount or go on a horse.

(of a mare) to be in heat.

Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse.

adjective

of, for, or pertaining to a horse or horses: the horse family; a horse blanket.

drawn or powered by a horse or horses.

mounted or serving on horses: horse troops.

unusually large.

Verb Phrases

horse around, Slang. to fool around; indulge in horseplay.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU GUESS THESE WORDS FROM AROUND THE US?

American English is not always as it appears to be ... get to know regional words in this quiz!

Question 1 of 10

A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?

Often it means something is impossible.

It’s another way to agree with someone.

It serves as an apology.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for horse

back the wrong horse, to be mistaken in judgment, especially in backing a losing candidate.

beat / flog a dead horse, to attempt to revive a discussion, topic, or idea that has waned, been exhausted, or proved fruitless.

from the horse's mouth, Informal. on good authority; from the original or a trustworthy source: I have it straight from the horse's mouth that the boss is retiring.

hold one's horses, Informal. to check one's impulsiveness; be patient or calm: Hold your horses! I'm almost ready.

horse of another color, something entirely different.Also horse of a different color.

look a gift horse in the mouth, to be critical of a gift.

To horse! Mount your horse! Ride!

Origin of horse

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English noun hors; cognate with Old Norse hross, Dutch ros, German Ross (Middle High German ros, Old High German hros ), from Germanic horso-, perhaps from the same Proto-Indo-European root that is the source of Latin currere “to run” (from unattested cursere ); Middle English horsen “to provide with horses,” Old English horsian, derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM horse

horseless, adjectivehorselike, adjectiveun·der·horse, verb (used with object), un·der·horsed, un·der·hors·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH horse

hoarse, horse

Words nearby horse

horror-struck, Horsa, hors concours, hors de combat, hors d'oeuvre, horse, horse-and-buggy, horse around, horseback, horse balm, horse bean

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

BEHIND THE WORD

Where does the word horse come from?

A horse is a horse, of course, of course. And that’s basically true, etymologically speaking, too.

Horse comes from the Old English hors. The word has many cousins in Germanic languages, and might come from an ancient root meaning “to run.” If that’s the case—then of course!

At the same time, that Old English hors has no relation to hors d’oeuvre, French for “outside the main course.”

And the word hoarse, meaning “having harsh or husky sound,” is a homonym of horse. While the words sound the same and are nearly spelled the same, they have different histories.

Now that you know how horses got their name, why not find out how some of our other most beloved pets got theirs in the slideshow: “Where Do The Words For Our Pets Come From?”

Did you know … ?

Humans domesticated horses, the quintessential riding animal, at least 6,000 years ago. Horses have had a gigantic impact on civilization, used for travel, food cultivation, sport, warfare, and many other functions.

The impact of horses on humans is evident in the English language, too. The word has been applied to everything from gymnastics (e.g., pommel horse) to carpentry (sawhorse) to chess (the knight piece) to various informal terms (horse as slang for “man, fellow”) and expressions, e.g., healthy as a horse and I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.

Example sentences from the Web for horse

The bill also includes apparent safety measures that I consider Trojan horses because they would allow the government to surveil users.
Brazil’s “fake news” bill won’t solve its misinformation problem|Amy Nordrum|September 10, 2020|MIT Technology Review
I found that the press was usually more interested in drama among Democrats, the kind of blow-by-blow, the horse race.
Pete Buttigieg Says Dems Did Not Coordinate to Seal Biden’s Primary Win|Nick Fouriezos|September 9, 2020|Ozy
Of course, Main Street investors, for the most part, can’t afford to throw down millions of dollars for a race horse, classic car, or art piece.
How a bottled-water founder became the richest man in China (for a moment)|Lucinda Shen|September 8, 2020|Fortune
In 1984, a prize horse owned by the president of Deston Fearing, a Minnesota-based animal identification company, was stolen.
The American Fringes Go Mainstream|Nick Fouriezos|September 6, 2020|Ozy

Dark-horse candidates include current foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi and defense minister Taro Kono.
The legacy Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, will leave after resigning|claychandler|August 28, 2020|Fortune
I mean, the reality of it was, I had to go out and get on a horse, and ride in, shoot the gun — how hard was that, right?
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The poet apparently collapsed in the street upon his departure from “The Horse” and died not long after.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Horse You Came in On Saloon, Baltimore Horse-themed bars must be bad luck for famous authors.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the budget provides $697,000 to the “Horse Protection Act of 1970.”
Congress’ Gift That Keeps on Giving|P. J. O’Rourke|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We kept on shooting for another year...and were never able to get the shot of him climbing on the horse.
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now, we could do wi' a third horse—get yourself ready, and drive over there, and take a look at it.
The Root of All Evil|J. S. Fletcher
Looking back, when he reached the house, he saw that Masten was still standing beside his horse.
The Range Boss|Charles Alden Seltzer
Every horse that can stand up is pressed into service for the day.
Worldly Ways and Byways|Eliot Gregory
Sits on the bench, I believe; rides a horse in the Yeomanry; very good-looking, quite intelligent.
Yonder|Emily Hilda Young
They appeared as if one horse had been mounted, and the other led.
Astoria|Washington Irving

British Dictionary definitions for horse

horse

/ (hɔːs) /

noun

a domesticated perissodactyl mammal, Equus caballus, used for draught work and riding: family EquidaeRelated adjective: equine

the adult male of this species; stallion

wild horse

a horse (Equus caballus) that has become feral
another name for Przewalski's horse

any other member of the family Equidae, such as the zebra or ass
(as modifier)the horse family

(functioning as plural) horsemen, esp cavalrya regiment of horse

short for Baja California Norte

a narrow board supported by a pair of legs at each end, used as a frame for sawing or as a trestle, barrier, etc

a contrivance on which a person may ride and exercise

a slang word for heroin

mining a mass of rock within a vein of ore

nautical a rod, rope, or cable, fixed at the ends, along which something may slide by means of a thimble, shackle, or other fitting; traveller

chess an informal name for knight

informal short for horsepower

(modifier) drawn by a horse or horsesa horse cart

a horse of another colour or a horse of a different colour a completely different topic, argument, etc

be on one's high horse or get on one's high horse informal to be disdainfully aloof

flog a dead horse See flog (def. 6)

hold one's horses to hold back; restrain oneself

horses for courses a policy, course of action, etc modified slightly to take account of specific circumstances without departing in essentials from the original

the horse's mouth the most reliable source

to horse! an order to mount horses

verb

(tr) to provide with a horse or horses

to put or be put on horseback

(tr) to move (something heavy) into position by sheer physical strength

Derived forms of horse

horseless, adjectivehorselike, adjective

Word Origin for horse

Old English hors; related to Old Frisian hors, Old High German hros, Old Norse hross

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

Idioms and Phrases with horse

horse

In addition to the idioms beginning with horse

horse around
horse of a different color, a
horse sense
horse trading

also see:

back the wrong horse
beat a dead horse
cart before the horse
change horses in midstream
charley horse
dark horse
eat like a bird (horse)
from the horse's mouth
hold one's horses
if wishes were horses
look a gift horse in the mouth
on one's high horse
war horse
wild horses couldn't drag
work like a beaver (horse)
you can lead a horse to water

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horse

noun, plural hors·es, (especially collectively) horse.

verb (used with object), horsed, hors·ing.