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.
Before leaving the quarter horse ranks, he won 739 races and saddled 24 world champions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2025
Los Alamitos runs a year-round quarter horse and thoroughbred meeting that is partly made up of lower level thoroughbred horses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2024
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
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.
