The hooves of an animal such as a horse are the hard lower parts of its feet.
The horses' hooves often could not get a proper grip.
Synonyms: foot, trotter, cloot More Synonyms of hoof
hoof in British English
(huːf)
nounWord forms: pluralhooves (huːvz) or hoofs
1.
a.
the horny covering of the end of the foot in the horse, deer, and all other ungulate mammals
b.
(in combination)
a hoofbeat
▶ Related adjective: ungular
2.
the foot of an ungulate mammal
3.
a hoofed animal
4. facetious
a person's foot
5. on the hoof
verb
6. (transitive)
to kick or trample with the hoofs
7. hoof it
Derived forms
hoofless (ˈhoofless)
adjective
hooflike (ˈhoofˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English hōf; related to Old Norse hōfr, Old High German huof (German Huf), Sanskrit saphás
hoof in American English
(huf; hʊf)
nounWord forms: pluralhoofs or hooves (huvz; hʊvz)
1.
the horny covering on the feet of ungulate mammals
2.
the entire foot of such an animal
3. Slang
the human foot
verb transitive, verb intransitive
4.
to kick or trample with the hoofs
5. Informal
to walk
often with it
6. Slang
to dance
Idioms:
on the hoof
Word origin
ME hoof < OE hof, akin to Ger huf < IE base *kapho- > Sans aphá-, hoof, claw
More idioms containing
hoof
do something on the hoof
Examples of 'hoof' in a sentence
hoof
You can almost do it on the hoof, you just pick up your device, record a comment and ping it over.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
You can almost do it on the hoof, you just pick up your device, record a comment andping it over.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Just inches away there is the deep thud of a hoof or foot.
The Sun (2011)
Just hoof it high into the stands and have a breather.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
She was galloping across a field and her horse put a hoof down a rabbit hole.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
But she stayed well and was one of the toughest horses to set hoof on turf.
The Sun (2009)
There were the rolling eye, the raised hoof poised to kick.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
If two call you a donkey, check for hoof prints.
Christianity Today (2000)
The first film opens conventionally enough with thundering horses' hooves.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Our horses' hooves clicked on the limestone and lava.
Bruce Feiler WALKING THE BIBLE (2001)
And the sound of horses' hooves?
The Sun (2010)
They are generally to be seen walking behind cattle and picking up insects that the animals' hooves disturb in the grass.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
I remember seeing her riding hat afterwards: there was a great hoof print on it.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
People forget that a goalkeeper's clearance should be an important pass, not a hoof upfield.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
One after another they leapt from the trailer, straight over the ramp, in an instant printing their proud hooves in the receiving earth.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
At the sound of the horses' hooves and the jingle of tack, she turned toward the road and watched as the men rode by.
Kerr, Katharine A Time of War (1993)
In other languages
hoof
British English: hoof NOUN
The hooves of an animal such as a horse are the hard lower parts of its feet.
The horses' hooves often could not get a proper grip.
American English: hoof
Brazilian Portuguese: casco
Chinese: > 蹄马等动物的
European Spanish: pezuña
French: sabot
German: Huf
Italian: zoccolo
Japanese: ひづめ
Korean: 말굽
European Portuguese: casco
Latin American Spanish: pezuña
All related terms of 'hoof'
hoof it
to walk
hoof rot
→ another name for foot rot
cloven hoof
Animals that have cloven hooves have feet that are divided into two parts. Cows, sheep , and goats have cloven hooves.
on the hoof
(of livestock ) alive
hoof-and-mouth disease
an acute highly infectious viral disease of cattle , pigs , sheep , and goats , characterized by the formation of vesicular eruptions in the mouth and on the feet, esp around the hoofs
do something on the hoof
to do something in response to things that happen , rather than as part of a carefully considered plan
aftosa
an acute highly infectious viral disease of cattle , pigs , sheep , and goats , characterized by the formation of vesicular eruptions in the mouth and on the feet, esp around the hoofs
aphthous fever
an acute highly infectious viral disease of cattle , pigs , sheep , and goats , characterized by the formation of vesicular eruptions in the mouth and on the feet, esp around the hoofs
contagious stomatitis
an acute highly infectious viral disease of cattle , pigs , sheep , and goats , characterized by the formation of vesicular eruptions in the mouth and on the feet, esp around the hoofs
FMD
foot-and-mouth disease
foot-and-mouth
an acute highly infectious viral disease of cattle , pigs , sheep , and goats , characterized by the formation of vesicular eruptions in the mouth and on the feet, esp around the hoofs
foot-and-mouth disease
Foot-and-mouth disease or foot-and-mouth is a serious and highly infectious disease that affects cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats.
Chinese translation of 'hoof'
hoof
(huːf)
Word forms:plhooves
n
蹄 (tí) (只, zhī)
(noun)
Definition
the horny covering of the end of the foot in the horse, deer, and certain other mammals