plater

American

[pley-ter, plat-er] / ˈpleɪ tər, ˈplæt ər /

noun

a person or thing that plates.
an inferior race horse.

plater British

/ ˈpleɪtə /

noun

a person or thing that plates
horse racing
1. a mediocre horse entered chiefly for minor races
2. a blacksmith who shoes racehorses with the special type of light shoe used for racing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of plater

First recorded in 1710–20; plate ¹ + -er ¹

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.

Mr Paterson, a plater and shipyard worker who was walking home after a curry night with his friend and cousin, suffered "significant external and internal" injuries.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

Alex Logan started to learn his trade as a shipbuilder at the age of 16 and has spent his entire working life at the Ferguson shipyard as a plater.

From BBC • Sep. 13, 2025

Nathan Wyllie, 19, is being trained as a plater.

From BBC • Sep. 27, 2022

Johnny Adams has an extraordinary flair for getting the best out of the cheapest plater.

From Time Magazine Archive

Now, old man, I should describe that animal, from a safe distance, as an inferior plater; but when I got up my feeling of contempt changed to one of respect—it usually does.

From A Poached Peerage by Magnay, William

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023