quarter horse
Americannoun
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one of a breed of strong horses developed in the U.S. for short-distance races, usually a quarter of a mile.
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a horse of this breed used in herding livestock.
noun
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.
Danger, a chestnut quarter horse with a white blaze down his face and a deep copper coat, was born the same summer Hunter first wore an Auburn jersey.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025
But it’s not gravity pulling him toward the finish line: It’s the brute force of a quarter horse named Sirius.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 7, 2024
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
Then to the corral, where the daughter of the house was working on the training of a quarter horse, an animal of parts named Speckle- bottom.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
