horse race
Americannoun
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a contest of speed among horses that either are ridden by jockeys or pull sulkies and their drivers.
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any formidable contest or competition.
The primary election is expected to be a horse race among four opponents.
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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.
For example, there have been no debates and none are planned at the moment, and the lack of polling means that horse race coverage is nonexistent.
From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026
And so began their journey as what Islas calls “horse parents” — a journey that has taken them to the brink of starting a horse in the world’s most famous horse race.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
As a youngster, Aswat looked up to Khadijah Mellah - the first British Muslim woman to win a horse race in Britain.
From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026
Media outlets, including Barron’s, cited the shifting odds as the process began to resemble a horse race.
From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026
The track, flooded with by far the largest crowd ever to attend a horse race in San Francisco, was overwhelmed.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
