workhorse

American  

[wurk-hawrs] / ˈwɜrkˌhɔrs /

noun

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

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

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workhorse British  

/ ˈwɜːkˌhɔːs /

noun

1. a horse used for nonrecreational activities

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

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Etymology

Origin of workhorse

First recorded in 1535–45; work + horse

Example Sentences

Vogt’s Juliette groans like a workhorse that knows it’s destined for the glue factory.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

Andres Sheppard, an analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald, has called Neutron the only viable alternative to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the industry’s workhorse.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

Futures prices for diesel, a workhorse of the world economy, and natural-gas prices also sank.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Known as a workhorse, she initially won broad praise for her handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in Denmark during her first term from 2019 to 2022.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

I’d been grinding like a workhorse for months but didn’t have much to show for it.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad