thoroughbred

[ thur-oh-bred, -uh-bred, thuhr- ]
See synonyms for: thoroughbredthoroughbreds on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. of pure or unmixed breed, stock, or lineage, as a horse or other animal; bred from the purest and best blood.

  2. (sometimes initial capital letter) of or relating to the Thoroughbred breed of horses.

  1. (of a person) having good breeding or education.

noun
  1. (initial capital letter) one of a breed of horses, to which all racehorses belong, originally developed in England by crossing Arabian stallions with European mares.

  2. a thoroughbred animal.

  1. a well-bred or well-educated person.

Origin of thoroughbred

1
First recorded in 1695–1705; thorough + bred

Other words from thoroughbred

  • thor·ough·bred·ness, noun

Words Nearby thoroughbred

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use thoroughbred in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for thoroughbred (1 of 2)

thoroughbred

/ (ˈθʌrəˌbrɛd) /


adjective
  1. purebred

noun
  1. a pedigree animal; purebred

  2. a person regarded as being of good breeding

British Dictionary definitions for Thoroughbred (2 of 2)

Thoroughbred

/ (ˈθʌrəˌbrɛd) /


noun
  1. a British breed of horse the ancestry of which can be traced to English mares and Arab sires; most often used as a racehorse

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