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Synonyms

horse race

American  

noun

  1. a contest of speed among horses that either are ridden by jockeys or pull sulkies and their drivers.

  2. 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.

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

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

Political pundits predict a three horse race between Labour, Green and Reform.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 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

It was officially the second-largest crowd ever to attend a horse race in America, but because the record tally, at the Kentucky Derby, was famously exaggerated, the attendance at this hundred-grander was undoubtedly the largest.

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.