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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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RELATED WORDS

laborer, servant, worker, serf, captive, victim, drudge, chattel, help, toiler, vassal, thrall, retainer, peon, menial, skivvy, slave, doer, pistol, dynamo

Nearby words

workers' cooperative, workfare, workflow, workfolk, workforce, workhorse, workhouse, working, working asset, working bee, working capital

Origin of workhorse

First recorded in 1535–45; work + horse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for workhorse

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

Word Origin and History for workhorse

workhorse

n.

1540s, from work (n.) + horse (n.). Figurative use by 1949.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper