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.

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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

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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

Example Sentences

Akira stopped Dodger and pointed behind them, where a line of horseshoe marks left indentations in the ashy road.

From Literature

The location of the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium cries out for a horseshoe design open to the west, permitting spectators to look out toward a majestic vista and setting sun.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Pinkerton and the other men were arranged with their backs to me in a horseshoe around Mr. Drysdale, which somehow afforded our suspect the only clear view of my antics.

From Literature

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

Project designers promise smoother travel on the elevated segments to and from the U-shaped roadway around the terminal area commonly called the horseshoe.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arc
• arch
• contour
• loop
• trajectory