workhorse

[ wurk-hawrs ]

/ ˈwɜrkˌhɔrs /

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noun

a horse used for plowing, hauling, and other heavy labor, as distinguished from a riding horse, racehorse, etc.

a person who works tirelessly at a task, assumes extra duties, etc.

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Origin of workhorse

First recorded in 1535–45; work + horse

Words nearby workhorse

workforce, work function, work-furlough, work-harden, work hardening, workhorse, work-hour, workhouse, work in, working, working asset

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

How to use workhorse in a sentence

It’s the type of all-purpose workhorse that belongs in every household because it’s got uses in basically every room—it can even be used to spot clean carpets.
Grout scrub brushes that tackle even the toughest stains|PopSci Commerce Team|January 19, 2021|Popular-Science
Algae, however, do this very efficiently, thanks to a protein structure called the pyrenoid—and Martin Jonikas ’04 believes this understudied cellular workhorse could transform food production.
Faster photosynthesis, higher crop yields|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The military’s workhorse cargo aircraft, the Boeing C-17 Globemaster, can fly a tank to Afghanistan in about a dozen hours, but rocket delivery would be far faster.
The military wants one-hour global delivery. SpaceX thinks it can pull it off.|Charlie Wood|October 16, 2020|Popular-Science
The volume refers to how much Indiana has used her — she’s third in the league in minutes played among all players, ahead of workhorses like Courtney Vandersloot and Skylar Diggins-Smith.
Which Players Have A Shot At Becoming WNBA Rookie Of The Year?|Howard Megdal|September 11, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

This gentle workhorse of an exfoliant can clear scalps with dry, combination, or oily skin.
Scalp scrubs that banish scaly patches and build-up|PopSci Commerce Team|September 4, 2020|Popular-Science
Through all of this, however, Howe was, as he always is, the workhorse of the Red Wings.
Gordie Howe Hockey’s Greatest War Horse|W.C. Heinz|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a lawmaker, she has always been more of a show pony than a workhorse.
Michele Bachmann’s Crazy War on Women’s History|Michelle Cottle|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The 737 is a world-wide daily workhorse on domestic routes, sometimes making as many as seven flights a day.
The Baseless Rush to Blame the Pilots of Flight 370|Clive Irving|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Los Angeles city government views Farmers Field as a gifted workhorse.
L.A. Hopes to Ignite Economic Growth by Building Tenantless Football Stadium|Miranda Green|January 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sedgwick often turns to the word “workhorse” to describe herself.
‘The Closer’ Comes to a Close|Tricia Romano|July 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST
"Democracy an excellent workhorse, but a poor charger; a good hack, but an untrustworthy racer," iv.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte|William Milligan Sloane
He figured that he might work up a trade of two unbroken colts for a gentle workhorse.
The Long Dim Trail|Forrestine C. Hooker
On signal from the tower, the big workhorse thundered down the runway and soared off into the blue.
Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X|Victor Appleton
The Holter, that workhorse of the water, plodded stolidly on its appointed way.
The Spell of the White Sturgeon|James Arthur Kjelgaard

British Dictionary definitions for workhorse

workhorse

/ (ˈwɜːkˌhɔːs) /

noun

a horse used for nonrecreational activities

informal a person who takes on the greatest amount of work in a project or job

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

workhorse

Origin of workhorse

Words nearby workhorse

Words related to workhorse

How to use workhorse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for workhorse