thoroughbred
adjective
of pure or unmixed breed, stock, or lineage, as a horse or other animal; bred from the purest and best blood.
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thoroughbred
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Thoroughbred
Thoroughbrednouna British breed of horse the ancestry of which can be traced to English mares and Arab sires; most often used as a racehorse
thoroughbred
American
[thur-oh-bred, -uh-bred, thuhr-]
/ ˈθɜr oʊˌbrɛd, -əˌbrɛd, ˈθʌr- /
adjective
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of pure or unmixed breed, stock, or lineage, as a horse or other animal; bred from the purest and best blood.
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(sometimes initial capital letter) of or relating to the Thoroughbred breed of horses.
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(of a person) having good breeding or education.
noun
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(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.
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a thoroughbred animal.
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a well-bred or well-educated person.
thoroughbred
1
British
/ ˈθʌrəˌbrɛd /
adjective
noun
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a pedigree animal; purebred
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a person regarded as being of good breeding
Thoroughbred
2
British
/ ˈθʌrəˌbrɛd /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of thoroughbred
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:
She grew up in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., which is known for thoroughbred racing, but her family was involved in harness racing and she never wanted to be a trainer anyway.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026
Shoemaker moved into thoroughbred training after he stopped riding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026
He received 100 thoroughbred horses and a Lexus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
Dale Romans, a thoroughbred racehorse trainer, has also made waves in the race since entering the primary in November, though no polling has been conducted that includes Romans.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2025
A Meecham is a thoroughbred, a winner all the way.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
“If I have the right horse, I’ll continue to run in Baltimore every May, as well as in The Thoroughbred Series,” Baffert posted on X.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
“It just kind of took the starch out of everything,” said Aron Wellman, managing partner of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, co-owner of the 4-year-old colt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
He no longer is ranked among the top 10 older horses in the National Thoroughbred Racing Assn. weekly poll.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
But neither Santa Anita nor the Thoroughbred Owners of California requested an agenda item by the cutoff 12 days ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2026
When my bat meets ball, the ball takes off like a missile toward right field, and I take off for first like a Thoroughbred exploding from the starting gate.
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
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.
