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quarter horse

American  

noun

  1. one of a breed of strong horses developed in the U.S. for short-distance races, usually a quarter of a mile.

  2. a horse of this breed used in herding livestock.


quarter horse British  

noun

  1. a small powerful breed of horse, originally bred for sprinting in quarter-mile races in Virginia in the late 18th century

"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 quarter horse

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

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:

On the car ride to the casino, Sarris is riffing on his friendship with Grateful Dead member Mickey Hart, who bought Sarris a quarter horse as a gift.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 24, 2026

The track will host the All American Futurity — the richest quarter horse race — over the Labor Day weekend.

From Seattle Times Aug. 25, 2023

The track will host the All American Futurity - the richest quarter horse race - over the Labor Day weekend.

From Washington Times Aug. 25, 2023

After starting with harness horses, Yakteen got hired by a white-haired quarter horse trainer named Baffert, who had left Arizona to chase his own dream.

From Seattle Times May 4, 2022

He was riding Little Warrior, a small but sturdy buckskin quarter horse.

From "In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse" by Joseph Marshall III

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