horse race
Americannoun
-
a contest of speed among horses that either are ridden by jockeys or pull sulkies and their drivers.
-
any formidable contest or competition.
The primary election is expected to be a horse race among four opponents.
Other Word Forms
- horse racing noun
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.
U.A.E. media circulated videos of royal family members and government officials walking through shopping malls and enjoying themselves at a horse race even as missiles and drones continued to fly in.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 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
Swinney later denied his "two horse race" comment was an attempt to eat into Labour's vote by spotlighting Reform.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2025
But, some of us can’t remember what we had for dinner last night so it’s not unreasonable to assume you can’t remember the time of a horse race from a year ago.
From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2025
At the mention of a horse race, the children began snorting and rearing up like three spirited ponies.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
