horse sense

American  

noun

1. common sense.

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horse sense British  

noun

1. another term for common sense

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horse sense Idioms  

1. Sound practical sense, as in She's got too much horse sense to believe his story. The exact allusion in this term, which dates from the mid-1800s, is disputed, since some regard horses as rather stupid. However, they tended to be viewed more positively in the American West, where the term originated.

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Etymology

Origin of horse sense

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

horse sense

He had that horse sense about him and how horses are traveling and what they should have left in the tank.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2025

You’ll need more than good horse sense for this week’s Slate News Quiz.

From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2021

More likely, it was something in American Pharoah’s horse sense that told him the man in the suit was a weak specimen.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2019

“One of the all-time great horses in this era,” said Sherman, whose horse sense comes hard-earned.

From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2016

She didn’t know what Dodger and his horse sense knew.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz