unhorse

[ uhn-hawrs ]

See synonyms for unhorse on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),un·horsed, un·hors·ing.

to cause to fall from a horse, as in battle; dislodge from the saddle: Sir Gawain unhorsed the strange knight.
to defeat; overcome; dislodge, as from a position or office: His vigorous campaign unhorsed his adversary.

Origin of unhorse

First recorded in 1350–1400, unhorse is from the Middle English word unhorsen.See un-², horse

Words Nearby unhorse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use unhorse in a sentence

Have you not a minute ago seen Mazurec unhorse a knight all alone, with his stick and only a handful of sand?
The Iron Trevet or Jocelyn the Champion | Eugne Sue
The object of the young Irishman was to unhorse, or rather un-camel, his antagonist, and get him to the ground.
The Boy Slaves | Mayne Reid
Scarcely did I catch her words, for a man sprang in, seizing my bridle-rein and leg and struggling to unhorse me.
The Jacket (The Star-Rover) | Jack London
They deal such blows upon their shields that, beside the wounded, they unhorse more than five hundred of them.
Four Arthurian Romances | Chretien DeTroyes
Thus the point of the fir-tree caught him upon the shoulder and came near to unhorse him.
The Blue Flower, and Others | Henry van Dyke

British Dictionary definitions for unhorse

unhorse

/ (ʌnˈhɔːs) /

verb(tr)

(usually passive) to knock or throw from a horse
to overthrow or dislodge, as from a powerful position

rare to unharness horses from (a carriage, etc)

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

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