horse

American  

[hawrs] / hɔrs /

noun

• horses,
  plural
• horse
  plural

1. 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.

2. a fully mature male animal of this type; stallion.

3. 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.

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

   rocking horse.

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

6. Gymnastics.

   1. vaulting horse.

   2. pommel horse.

7. Carpentry. carriage.

8. soldiers serving on horseback; cavalry.

   a thousand horse.

9. Slang. a man; fellow.

10. Informal. Often horses. horsepower.

11. Slang. horses, 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.

12. Chess Informal. a knight.

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

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

15. Nautical. traveler.

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

17. Slang. heroin.

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verb (used with object)

• horses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• horsed,
  past participle,  past
• horsing
  present participle

1. to provide with a horse or horses.

2. to set on horseback.

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

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

5. to move with great physical effort or force.

   It took three men to horse the trunk up the stairs.

6. Slang.

   1. to make (a person) the target of boisterous jokes.

   2. to perform boisterously, as a part or a scene in a play.

7. Nautical.

   1. to caulk (a vessel) with a hammer.

   2. to work or haze (a sailor) cruelly or unfairly.

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

verb (used without object)

• horses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• horsed,
  past participle,  past
• horsing
  present participle

1. to mount or go on a horse.

2. (of a mare) to be in heat.

3. Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse.

adjective

1. of, for, or pertaining to a horse or horses.

   the horse family; a horse blanket.

2. drawn or powered by a horse or horses.

3. mounted or serving on horses.

   horse troops.

4. unusually large.

verb phrase

1. horse around to fool around; indulge in horseplay.

idioms

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

2. To horse! Mount your horse! Ride!

3. hold one's horses, to check one's impulsiveness; be patient or calm.

   Hold your horses! I'm almost ready.

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

5. from the horse's mouth, on good authority; from the original or a trustworthy source.

   I have it straight from the horse's mouth that the boss is retiring.

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

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

horse British  

/ hɔːs /

noun

1. a domesticated perissodactyl mammal, Equus caballus, used for draught work and riding: family Equidae

2. the adult male of this species; stallion

3. 1. a horse ( Equus caballus ) that has become feral

   2. another name for Przewalski's horse

4. 1. any other member of the family Equidae, such as the zebra or ass

   2. ( as modifier )

      the horse family

5. (functioning as plural) horsemen, esp cavalry

   a regiment of horse

6. short for Baja California Norte

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

8. a contrivance on which a person may ride and exercise

9. a slang word for heroin

10. mining a mass of rock within a vein of ore

11. 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

12. chess an informal name for knight

13. informal short for horsepower

14. (modifier) drawn by a horse or horses

    a horse cart

15. a completely different topic, argument, etc

16. informal to be disdainfully aloof

17. See flog

18. to hold back; restrain oneself

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

20. the most reliable source

21. an order to mount horses

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verb

1. (tr) to provide with a horse or horses

2. to put or be put on horseback

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

horse More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing horse

• 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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Usage

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?"

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underhorse
  verb (used with object)
• horseless
  adjective
• horselike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• horse
  plural
• horses
  plural

Participles

• horsing
  present
• horsed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• horse
  simple
• horses
  simple
• have horsed
  perfect
• has horsed
  perfect
• am horsing
  progressive
• are horsing
  progressive
• is horsing
  progressive
• have been horsing
  perfect progressive
• has been horsing
  perfect progressive

Past

• horsed
  simple
• had horsed
  perfect
• was horsing
  progressive
• were horsing
  progressive
• had been horsing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will horse
  simple
• will have horsed
  perfect
• will be horsing
  progressive
• will have been horsing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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

Explanation

A horse is a large, four-legged animal with hooves, a long nose and tail, and a mane of hair along its upper back. Part of learning how to ride a horse includes giving commands and using the reins to guide it. Horses are very strong and fast, which is why humans have domesticated them for thousands of years — horses can be helpful on farms, for riding, and for pulling wagons and carts. Some people ride horses simply as a hobby, while others race them in competitions. Horses are one of the very few animals that can sleep either lying down or standing up, a trait that helped them run quickly from predators in the wild.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

horse horses horsed horsing

This year, no horse competed in all three races.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

I am 100% aware that you don’t mention money, but it seems like you would be staring a gift horse in the mouth by persisting with this argument.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Surge, Slate’s weekly politics newsletter for closely monitoring the horse race between Trump’s approval rating and the Washington, D.C., temperature in Celsius.

From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2026

The Kobe kittens weighed around 150 grams when they were born but now weigh more than one kilo and are starting to eat solid food like chicken and horse meat, the zoo said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

“They’re thieves,” I yell, darting closer to the man’s horse.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Their trainers cited the short turnaround between the two events; very few horses these days compete in races two weeks apart.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

The Thoroughbred Championship Series will feature a points system, with horses who compete in at least four races eligible to share a $5-million bonus pool that will pay down to the top eight finishers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Mr. Salerno grew up in Sicily, where his family kept horses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

We look to be back in the realms of a two-horse race and the two horses have experienced jockeys now, not two Old Firm apprentices like Russell Martin and Wilfried Nancy.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Others ride high on horses or else on donkeys, mules.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

They horsed through the phases, giving everything but getting nothing.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026

They shaved outside, cooked barbecues, horsed around on the bus to the games.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 26, 2020

The boys horsed around with a sapling, pulling on its branches and laughing in the sunlight.

From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2018

They horsed around, tossing and fetching each other’s sticks.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 25, 2015

It was a good deed; but the Rider was soon horsed again.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

If you’re unfamiliar with hobby horsing, it’s a sport originating from Finland that’s growing in popularity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

"I was always in trouble for horsing around . . . acting came second nature to me."

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2022

Arizona’s offense was a bit off-kilter early with point guard Kerr Kriisa out after he was hurt "horsing around" with some teammates during the pregame meal.

From Fox News ● Jan. 16, 2022

After that, we were just kids horsing around.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 12, 2021

Without Mrs. Robins in the room, they’re loud and horsing around.

From "Finding Langston" by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Related Words

• colt
• filly
• mare
• stallion