mustang
Americannoun
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mustangs
plural
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a small, hardy horse of the American plains, descended from Spanish stock.
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U.S. Navy Slang. a naval officer who received his commission while still an enlisted man.
verb (used without object)
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mustang
1800–10, < Spanish mestengo stray or ownerless beast, noun use of masculine adj.: pertaining to a mixed lot of beasts, equivalent to mest ( a ) such a mixed lot (< Latin ( animālia ) mixta mixed (beasts), neuter plural adj., taken as feminine singular noun; see mixed) + -engo adj. suffix
Explanation
A mustang is a type of wild horse. Most mustangs roam free in the western part of the United States. It's actually more accurate to call mustangs feral horses, since they live like wild animals but are directly descended from horses that were domesticated. These ancestors were Spanish horses brought to North America by explorers during the 1500s. The cowboys who caught and sold mustangs during the 18th and 19 centuries were known as mustangers. The word mustang comes from the Spanish mestengo, "wild, stray, or having no master."
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.
See Examples For:
That would make the new Roadster something of a mustang for the new era.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
The Forest Service reports the herd’s origins are unknown, noting it may be linked to mustang drives between Owens Valley and Nevada.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
"A wild mustang stallion kicks up a dust storm in north-western Colorado."
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2022
In a lifetime of working with horses, Gary Kidd, 73, had never adopted an untrained wild mustang before.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2021
As Smith watched him in racing combat, images from his mustang days assembled in his head.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Some subsequently appeared in the slaughter pipeline; inspection records showed mustangs ending up on trucks bound for Canadian slaughter plants.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
They employ quite a few mustangs at their guest ranch operation in the town of Bridgeport, including Jethro, a friendly brown fella with a splash of white on his forehead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025
Government lawyers said in court filings Monday the horse advocates are trying to inflame emotions with photos and videos of injured mustangs trying to flee helicopters and wranglers on horseback.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 8, 2023
A longtime observer and defender of the mustangs caught the animal’s struggle on video.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 19, 2023
The British cavalry didn’t need him anymore, so he had been forced to leave the mustangs and find a new job.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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