horseshoe

American  

[hawrs-shoo, hawrsh-] / ˈhɔrsˌʃu, ˈhɔrʃ- /

noun

1. a U -shaped metal plate, plain or with calks, nailed to a horse's hoof to protect it from being injured by hard or rough surfaces.

2. something U -shaped, as a valley, river bend, or other natural feature.

   We picnicked in the middle of a horseshoe of trees.

3. (used with a singular verb) horseshoes, a game in which horseshoes or other U -shaped pieces of metal, plastic, etc., are tossed at an iron stake 30 or 40 feet (9 or 12 meters) away in order to encircle it or to come closer to it than one's opponent.

---

verb (used with object)

horseshoed, horseshoeing

1. to put a horseshoe or horseshoes on.

adjective

1. having the shape of a horseshoe; U -shaped.

   a horseshoe bend in the river.

horseshoe British  

/ ˈhɔːsˌʃuː /

noun

1. a piece of iron shaped like a U with the ends curving inwards that is nailed to the underside of the hoof of a horse to protect the soft part of the foot from hard surfaces: commonly thought to be a token of good luck

2. an object of similar shape

---

verb

1. (tr) to fit with a horseshoe; shoe

Other Word Forms

• horseshoer noun

Etymology

Origin of horseshoe

1350–1400; Middle English. See horse, shoe

Explanation

When you think of a horseshoe, don't picture a shoe with a sole and laces! Instead, a horseshoe is an arc-shaped piece of metal that gets nailed into the horse's hoof. Ever since humans started using horses for riding, pulling carts, and working on farms, they've found ways to guard their hooves against wear and injury. Horseshoes can be nailed onto the thick, fingernail-like hoof, or glued on. Some people consider horseshoes to be lucky symbols as well, while others enjoy the game called horseshoes, which involves throwing large horseshoes toward a metal stake in the ground.

Example Sentences

Today, chelicerates include more than 120,000 species, from spiders and scorpions to mites, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

It’s beyond inane and so undercooked that it can’t manage to horseshoe its way back to brilliant, but there’s no other way I’d like it.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026

“That horseshoe shape of the Strait keeps ships in the most dangerous area for a long time.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

On Saturday they adopted more of a horseshoe, with a capacity crowd of some 82,00 at Twickenham belting out a chorus of 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' -- England's rugby anthem -- for good measure.

From Barron's • Nov. 16, 2025

It snagged on the horseshoe as she pulled it out of her pocket, and Sasha raised an eyebrow.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

• arc
• arch
• contour
• loop
• trajectory