whinny
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
-
(of a horse) to neigh softly or gently
-
to make a sound resembling a neigh, such as a laugh
noun
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has whinniedperfect 3rd person singular
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have whinniedperfect
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has been whinnyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is whinnyingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am whinnyingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been whinnyingperfect progressive
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are whinnyingprogressive
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whinnyingparticiple
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whinniessingular 3rd person
Past
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had whinniedperfect
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were whinnyingprogressive plural
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had been whinnyingperfect progressive
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whinniedsimple
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whinniedparticiple
-
was whinnyingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of whinny
1520–30; imitative; compare earlier whrinny, Latin hinnīre
Explanation
A cow moos, a dog barks, a rooster crows, and a horse whinnies. Whinny is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it's the sound a horse makes. As a verb, it's the horse making the sound. A familiar word with the same meaning as whinny is neigh. When you visit your cousins on their farm, the rooster wakes you up every morning with his crowing. The cow moos to let you know she’s ready to be milked. The dog’s barking alerts you that the tractor is coming down the drive. And it’s the horse’s whinny that tells you he’s ready to go for a ride. Every time you hear that whinny, you’ve got to saddle up!
Vocabulary lists containing whinny
Our Town
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The Sea of Monsters
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Black Beauty
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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.
A horse's whinny may sound like a single call, but it is actually a blend of both high and low frequencies.
From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026
Welcoming visitors to the thatched-roof cottage she and her late husband bought soon after the war, she whimsically tweaks the ears of a mechanical horse named Dobin, making him whinny.
From Seattle Times • May 30, 2024
She’s bonded with the horse she’s ridden for nearly two years, saying he’ll whinny every time she walks into the barn.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2021
Mr. Perry grinned, dipped his head and replied in Madea’s whinny of a voice.
From New York Times • Jan. 28, 2021
As soon as it felt the loathsome scratching weight descend on its exposed haunches, it gave a loud panicked whinny and bucked.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
