horse
Americannoun
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horses,
plural
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horse
plural
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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.
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a fully mature male animal of this type; stallion.
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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.
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something on which a person rides, sits, or exercises, as if astride the back of such an animal.
rocking horse.
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Also called trestle. a frame, block, etc., with legs, on which something is mounted or supported.
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Gymnastics.
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Carpentry. carriage.
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soldiers serving on horseback; cavalry.
a thousand horse.
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Informal. Often horses. horsepower.
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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.
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Chess Informal. a knight.
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Slang. a crib, translation, or other illicit aid to a student's recitation; trot; pony.
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Mining. a mass of rock enclosed within a lode or vein.
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Nautical. traveler.
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Shipbuilding. a mold of a curved frame, especially one used when the complexity of the curves requires laying out at full size.
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Slang. heroin.
verb (used with object)
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horses,
present (3rd person singular)
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horsed,
past participle, past
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horsing
present participle
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to provide with a horse or horses.
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to set on horseback.
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to set or carry on a person's back or on one's own back.
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Carpentry. to cut notches for steps into (a carriage beam).
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to move with great physical effort or force.
It took three men to horse the trunk up the stairs.
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Slang.
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to make (a person) the target of boisterous jokes.
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to perform boisterously, as a part or a scene in a play.
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Nautical.
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to caulk (a vessel) with a hammer.
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to work or haze (a sailor) cruelly or unfairly.
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Archaic. to place (someone) on a person's back, in order to be flogged.
verb (used without object)
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horses,
present (3rd person singular)
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horsed,
past participle, past
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horsing
present participle
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to mount or go on a horse.
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(of a mare) to be in heat.
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Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse.
adjective
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of, for, or pertaining to a horse or horses.
the horse family; a horse blanket.
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drawn or powered by a horse or horses.
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mounted or serving on horses.
horse troops.
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unusually large.
verb phrase
idioms
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look a gift horse in the mouth, to be critical of a gift.
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To horse! Mount your horse! Ride!
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hold one's horses, to check one's impulsiveness; be patient or calm.
Hold your horses! I'm almost ready.
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beat / flog a dead horse, to attempt to revive a discussion, topic, or idea that has waned, been exhausted, or proved fruitless.
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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.
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horse of another color, something entirely different. Also horse of a different color.
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back the wrong horse, to be mistaken in judgment, especially in backing a losing candidate.
noun
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a domesticated perissodactyl mammal, Equus caballus, used for draught work and riding: family Equidae
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the adult male of this species; stallion
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a horse ( Equus caballus ) that has become feral
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another name for Przewalski's horse
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any other member of the family Equidae, such as the zebra or ass
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( as modifier )
the horse family
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(functioning as plural) horsemen, esp cavalry
a regiment of horse
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short for Baja California Norte
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a narrow board supported by a pair of legs at each end, used as a frame for sawing or as a trestle, barrier, etc
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a contrivance on which a person may ride and exercise
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a slang word for heroin
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mining a mass of rock within a vein of ore
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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
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chess an informal name for knight
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informal short for horsepower
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(modifier) drawn by a horse or horses
a horse cart
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a completely different topic, argument, etc
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informal to be disdainfully aloof
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See flog
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to hold back; restrain oneself
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a policy, course of action, etc modified slightly to take account of specific circumstances without departing in essentials from the original
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the most reliable source
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an order to mount horses
verb
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(tr) to provide with a horse or horses
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to put or be put on horseback
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(tr) to move (something heavy) into position by sheer physical strength
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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horsesimple
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horsessimple
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have horsedperfect
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has horsedperfect
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am horsingprogressive
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are horsingprogressive
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is horsingprogressive
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have been horsingperfect progressive
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has been horsingperfect progressive
Past
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horsedsimple
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had horsedperfect
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was horsingprogressive
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were horsingprogressive
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had been horsingperfect progressive
Future
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Australian jockey Ethan Brown has ridden Point of Law, a horse previously owned by King Charles, to victory in this year's Melbourne Cup, the country's most prestigious race.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
It ended with a lovely appearance by a black horse all in the expanses of MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
It’s a respected animal, nobody’s afraid of a horse, people love horses, horses signify beauty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Most astonishing to me were their scars: the burned-out crevices, cut deep into the heart of many of the trees, some big enough to ride a horse through.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
He lived ten miles away and he’d worn his poor horse down.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
It features a two-bedroom guesthouse; a 7,200-square-foot spa, which doubles as a gym and entertainment pavilion; a large barn that fits seven horses; and a six-car garage.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
Maher had a record seven horses in this year's cup, including the second and third place runners, Zahrann and Juja Kibo.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Knightsbridge was third, with two Japanese horses, T O Password and favored Forever Young finishing fourth and fifth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
It mandates that owners of the nearly 200 horses would not be allowed to sell them for slaughter or for the purposes of other horse-carriage businesses.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
The new Phineas could walk, drive a team of horses, and sail away to Chile, but he had lost a vital skill—he no longer knew how to be social.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
They horsed through the phases, giving everything but getting nothing.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
In one of the three outdoor yards, I horsed around with Dixie Do, a mom mastiff, and her two sons, Jake and Ivan.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2021
They shaved outside, cooked barbecues, horsed around on the bus to the games.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 26, 2020
He horsed around so much during rehearsals, however, that Mr. Morley suggested he turn to comedy.
From New York Times ● Jun. 29, 2015
We horsed around a little bit in the cab on the way over to the theater.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
One boy and 48 girls, from first-graders to teenagers, competed in a hobby horsing competition in St. Petersburg, Russia.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2024
In between spurts of dancing and horsing around, the girls hustled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2023
"I was always in trouble for horsing around . . . acting came second nature to me."
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2022
Think of Eddie Van Halen and Chet Atkins horsing around on the fretboard, or Young Thug rapping in helium hi-def, or Janet Jackson punctuating an immaculate melody with laughter.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 20, 2022
She's not little enough any more to go stark staring mad in the toy department, but she enjoys horsing around and looking at the people.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
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