warhorse

or war-horse, war horse

[ wawr-hawrs ]
See synonyms for warhorse on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a horse used in war; charger.

  2. Informal. a veteran, as a soldier or politician, of many struggles and conflicts.

  1. a musical composition, play, etc., that has been seen, heard, or performed excessively.

Origin of warhorse

1
First recorded in 1645–55; war1 + horse

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

How to use warhorse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for warhorse

warhorse

/ (ˈwɔːˌhɔːs) /


noun
  1. a horse used in battle

  2. informal a veteran soldier, politician, or elderly person, esp one who is aggressive

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

Cultural definitions for war horse

war horse

A person or thing that has seen long service or has lived through many hardships and can be relied on: “That teacher is a real war horse; he has seen the dismissal of ten different principals.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with warhorse

warhorse

Also, old war horse. A dependable, frequently performed attraction, as in The opera company is doing nothing but old war horses this season, like, Aïda and La Bohème. This term originated in the mid-1600s for a military charger that had been through many battles. In the 1800s it began to be used for human veterans, and in the mid-1900s for popular productions, especially of musical works.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.