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• thoroughbred
  thoroughbred

  adjective

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

  noun

  a 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

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.

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

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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.

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

thoroughbred ¹ British  

/ ˈθʌrəˌbrɛd /

adjective

1. purebred

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noun

1. a pedigree animal; purebred

2. a person regarded as being of good breeding

Thoroughbred ² British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• thoroughbredness
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of thoroughbred

First recorded in 1695–1705; thorough + bred

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thoroughbred Thoroughbred

Trained by Ciaron Maher, the three-year-old thoroughbred won the Geelong Cup last month.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

For the second time in as many weeks, a leading California-based thoroughbred has been retired.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

A nation will be hoping he's still smiling in the wake of their opener against Haiti, Scotland's first World Cup game since the great thoroughbred in their midfield was barely out of nappies.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

He received 100 thoroughbred horses and a Lexus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026

He had nothing in common with the stray dogs in the street, much less with the thoroughbred racers that assorted families of the aristocracy were raising.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

“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

The Thoroughbred Championship Series will feature a points system, with horses who compete in at least four races eligible to share a $5-million bonus pool that will pay down to the top eight finishers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

“Yeah, it’s pretty hard to believe that a horse like him hasn’t won a race in a year,” said Aron Wellman, managing director of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which co-owns the 4-year-old son of Curlin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Both measures were opposed by Southern California tracks and the California Thoroughbred Trainers and the TOC.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026

“Jake lives jest this side a-Cornelia. Raises Thoroughbred racehosses.”

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

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