stalking horse
noun
a horse, or a figure of a horse, behind which a hunter hides in stalking game.
Jump To:
-
stalking horse
-
stalking-horse
stalking-horsenouna horse or an imitation one used by a hunter to hide behind while stalking his quarry
stalking horse
American
[staw-king hawrs]
/ ˈstɔ kɪŋ ˌhɔrs /
stalking-horse
noun
-
a horse, or a figure of a horse, behind which a hunter hides in stalking game.
-
anything put forward to mask plans or efforts; pretext.
-
a political candidate used to conceal the candidacy of a more important figure or to draw votes from and cause the defeat of a rival.
stalking-horse
British
noun
-
a horse or an imitation one used by a hunter to hide behind while stalking his quarry
-
something serving as a means of concealing plans; pretext
-
a candidate put forward by one group to divide the opposition or mask the candidacy of another person for whom the stalking-horse would then withdraw
Etymology
Origin of stalking horse
First recorded in 1510–20
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:
Disney will serve as a stalking horse bidder for a non-exclusive perpetual license of some of Character’s intellectual property.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
A Labour source said: "I've heard of a stalking horse, but this guy is going to get hoarse from his endless stalking."
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
Journalism is not a speed horse but more of a stalking horse that doesn’t go to the lead, leaving a lot of run left when he hits the homestretch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2025
"This is not a stalking horse for rate regulation. Nope. No how, no way," the chair said in October.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2024
In short, the Quaker petition for an end of the slave trade was really a stalking horse for a more radical and thoroughgoing scheme to end the institution of slavery itself.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
If a sale process for Joann is approved, Gordon Brothers Retail Partners would serve as the stalking-horse bidder and set the floor for the auction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2025
It does not have an initial offer in hand, known in bankruptcy parlance as a stalking-horse bidder, which sets a minimum price other suitors can top in an auction.
From Reuters ● Jun. 27, 2023
But when it came to pressuring politicians and other groups to jump-start arena plans, he couldn’t have been better placed had the NHL been paying him as a stalking-horse consultant all along.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2018
The Weinstein Company - which was co-founded by Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob in 2005 - also announced a "stalking-horse" agreement with Lantern Capital Partners private equity firm.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2018
But where's the reverence, or where the nous, To ride on one's religion thro' the lobby, Whether a stalking-horse or hobby, To show its pious paces to "the house"?
From The Poetical Works of Thomas Hood by Thomas Hood
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
