Word forms: plural, plural, 3rd person singular presenttense horses, present participle horsing, past tense, past participle horsed
1. countable noun
A horse is a large animal which people can ride. Some horses are used for pulling ploughs and carts.
A small man on a grey horse had appeared.
Synonyms: nag, mount, mare, colt More Synonyms of horse
2. plural noun [usu on theN]
When you talk about the horses, you mean horse races in which people bet money on the horse which they think will win.
[informal]
He still likes to bet on the horses.
3. countable noun
A vaulting horse is a tall piece of gymnastics equipment for jumping over.
4.
See from the horse's mouth
5. See also clothes horse, dark horse, rocking horse, seahorse
6. to put the cart before the horse
Phrasal verbs:
See horse around
horse in British English
(hɔːs)
noun
1.
a domesticated perissodactyl mammal, Equus caballus, used for draught work and riding: family Equidae
▶ Related adjective: equine
2.
the adult male of this species; stallion
3. wild horse
4.
a.
any other member of the family Equidae, such as the zebra or ass
b.
(as modifier)
the horse family
5. (functioning as plural)
horsemen, esp cavalry
a regiment of horse
6. Also called: buck gymnastics
a padded apparatus on legs, used for vaulting, etc
7.
a narrow board supported by a pair of legs at each end, used as a frame for sawing or as a trestle, barrier, etc
8.
a contrivance on which a person may ride and exercise
9. a slang word for heroin
10. mining
a mass of rock within a vein of ore
11. nautical
a rod, rope, or cable, fixed at the ends, along which something may slide by means of a thimble, shackle, or other fitting; traveller
12. chess an informal name for knight
13. informal short for horsepower
14. (modifier)
drawn by a horse or horses
a horse cart
15. a horse of another colour
16. be on one's high horse
17. flog a dead horse
18. hold one's horses
19. horses for courses
20. the horse's mouth
21. to horse!
verb
22. (transitive)
to provide with a horse or horses
23.
to put or be put on horseback
24. (transitive)
to move (something heavy) into position by sheer physical strength
Derived forms
horseless (ˈhorseless)
adjective
horselike (ˈhorseˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English hors; related to Old Frisian hors, Old High German hros, Old Norse hross
horse in American English
(hɔrs)
nounWord forms: pluralˈhorses or horse
1.
a domesticated or wild, perissodactylous mammal (Equus caballus), raised in many breeds, having a large body and head, four usually long, thin legs, and a long, flowing tail: horses have been ridden, used to pull loads, etc. since ancient times
2.
the full-grown male of the horse; gelding or stallion
3.
anything like a horse in that a person sits, rides, or is carried on it
4.
a device, esp. a frame with legs, to support something
; specif.,
a.
sawhorse
b.
a clotheshorse
5.
a man regarded as resembling a horse, as in having great strength or endurance
sometimes used as a general term of address
6. Chess; Informal
a knight
7. US, Informal
pony (sense 4)
8. Slang
a.
horsepower (sense 2)
b. [pl.]
horsepower (sense 3)
c. US
heroin
9. Gymnastics
a padded block on legs, used for vaulting events
see also pommel horse
10. [with pl. v.]; Military; British
mounted troops; cavalry
11. Mining
a mass of earth or rock inside a vein or coal seam
verb transitiveWord forms: horsed or ˈhorsing
12.
to supply with a horse or horses; put on horseback
13.
a.
to place on a man's back or a wooden horse for flogging
b.
to flog
14. Informal
to shove; push
15. US, Slang
to subject to horseplay
verb intransitive
16.
to mount or go on horseback
adjective
17.
of a horse or horses
18.
mounted on horses
19.
large, strong, or coarse of its kind
horse mackerel
Idioms:
back the wrong horse
beat a dead horse
from the horse's mouth
hold one's horses
horse around
horse of another color
on one's high horse
to horse!
Word origin
ME hors < OE hors, hros, akin to Ger ross (OHG hros), prob. < IE base *(s)ker-, to leap (or < ? *ers-, to run > L cursus)
More idioms containing
horse
look a gift horse in the mouth
closing the stable door after the horse has bolted
put the cart before the horse
you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink
You need a good horse like him to put you in the limelight.
The Sun (2017)
No doubt he will be again from afar should his horse win tomorrow.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Another is about a horse that is about to be killed.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Outside horses and carts still pass.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
By all logic, that was the end of the horse.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I rode a beautiful grey horse around the set.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Talking horses seems irrelevant now.
The Sun (2016)
I just hope the old grey horse doesn't lose his pitch somewhere.
The Sun (2017)
The activities on offer will include spa treatments, hiking, mountain biking and horse riding.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I want to prove I can do it again on a different horse as well.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He is a good horse and wants this trip.
The Sun (2013)
There is huge demand from rich people who like horses or fishing or transporting goods.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Your facilities for keeping a horse may affect your choice of animal.
Eccles, Lesley Your First Horse - buying, feeding, caring (1989)
His explanations for the cash included gifts from friends and wins on horses.
The Sun (2012)
This was not about a capricious horse.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
One day they sold him an old grey horse starved of life.
Max Arthur Lost Voices of the Edwardians: 19011910 in the words of the Men & Women Who WereThere (2006)
It will be interesting to see where he stands against the older horses.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The fact that they are not the same horse is quite something!
The Sun (2012)
The property is surrounded by trails for mountain biking and horse riding.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The missing prop was a white horse.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The minutes tick by and still no horse.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
That gymnastics vaulting horse brought back painful memories of school.
The Sun (2012)
It is said that horses talk loudest by what they do on the racecourse.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
That man on the horse riding down the street preceded by flags and followed by drums?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We have different sorts of horses for the patrols and the shepherds.
Tepper, Sheri S. A Plague of Angels (1993)
He deserves to be riding these good horses again.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Not good enough to be the back end of a horse.
The Sun (2011)
The family keep horses and a variety of other animals.
The Sun (2013)
There are big similarities between training people and training horses.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They are good for fit horses but may cause galling on horses in soft condition.
Eccles, Lesley Your First Horse - buying, feeding, caring (1989)
The horse needs to win or the money's gone.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Quotations
A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!William ShakespeareRichard III
A horse is dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middleIan Fleming
Don't change horses in midstream
You can take a horse to water but you cannot make him drink
A nod's as good as a wink to a blind horse
Nothing is so good for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse
Word lists with
horse
related adjectives, male animals, female animals, baby and young animals, fauna, Horses, rhinos and other perissodactyls
In other languages
horse
British English: horse /hɔːs/ NOUN
A horse is a large animal which people can ride.
...a man on a grey horse.
American English: horse
Arabic: حِصَانٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: cavalo
Chinese: 马
Croatian: konj
Czech: kůň
Danish: hest
Dutch: paard
European Spanish: caballo
Finnish: hevonen
French: cheval
German: Pferd
Greek: άλογο
Italian: cavallo
Japanese: 馬
Korean: 말
Norwegian: hest
Polish: koń
European Portuguese: cavalo
Romanian: cal
Russian: лошадь
Latin American Spanish: caballo
Swedish: häst
Thai: ม้า
Turkish: at hayvan
Ukrainian: кінь
Vietnamese: con ngựa
All related terms of 'horse'
horse fly
any bloodsucking, usually large fly of the family Tabanidae, esp. of the genus Tabanus , a serious pest of horses, cattle , etc
one-horse
If someone describes a town as a one-horse town, they mean it is very small, dull , and old-fashioned .
sea horse
any marine teleost fish of the temperate and tropical genus Hippocampus , having a bony-plated body, a prehensile tail , and a horselike head and swimming in an upright position: family Syngnathidae ( pipefishes )
to horse!
an order to mount horses
two-horse
If you describe a contest as a two-horse race , you mean that only two of the people or things taking part have any chance of winning .
war horse
a horse used in battle; charger
cart horse
a strong horse bred to draw heavy loads ; draft horse
coach horse
a horse, usually strong and heavily built, for drawing a coach
Crazy Horse
Native American name Ta-Sunko-Witko . ?1849–77, Sioux chief, remembered for his attempts to resist White settlement in Sioux territory
dark horse
If you describe someone as a dark horse , you mean that people know very little about them, although they may have recently had success or may be about to have success.
dead horse
something that has ceased to be useful or relevant
dray horse
a draft horse used for pulling a dray
gift horse
→ don't look a gift horse in the mouth
high horse
→ to get on your high horse
hobby-horse
You describe a subject or idea as your hobby-horse if you have strong feelings on it and like talking about it whenever you have the opportunity .
horse bean
an erect annual Eurasian bean plant, Vicia faba , cultivated for its large edible flattened seeds, used as a vegetable
horse brass
a decorative brass ornament , usually circular , originally attached to a horse's harness
horse corn
field corn
horse-drawn
A horse-drawn carriage, cart, or other vehicle is one that is pulled by one or more horses.
Horse Guard
a special cavalry brigade assigned to the British royal household
horse laugh
a coarse, mocking , or raucous laugh ; guffaw
horse opera
→ western (sense 6 )
horse race
an organized race between jockeys and their mounts
horse rider
a person riding a horse
horse sense
common sense
horse show
A horse show is a sporting event in which people riding horses compete in order to demonstrate their skill and control .
horse-trade
to buy and sell horses
iron horse
a steam-driven railway locomotive
light horse
lightly armed and highly mobile cavalry
pack horse
a horse used to transport goods, equipment, etc
pole horse
a horse harnessed alongside the shaft ( pole ) of a vehicle
post horse
( formerly ) a horse kept at an inn or post house for use by postriders or for hire to travellers
river horse
→ hippopotamus
shire horse
a large heavy breed of carthorse with long hair on the fetlocks
side horse
→ pommel horse
trial horse
an opponent who performs against a superior foe in a workout or exhibition
wheel horse
the horse, or one of the horses, harnessed nearest the front wheels of a vehicle
white horse
the outline of a horse carved into the side of a chalk hill , usually dating to the Neolithic , Bronze , or Iron Ages, such as that at Uffington, Berkshire
wild horse
a horse ( Equus caballus ) that has become feral
Barbary horse
a breed of horse of North African origin , similar to the Arab but less spirited
charley horse
muscle stiffness or cramp following strenuous athletic exercise
clothes horse
A clothes horse is a folding frame used inside someone's house to hang washing on while it dries .
cutting horse
a saddle horse trained for use in separating an individual animal, such as a cow , from a herd
harness horse
a horse used for pulling vehicles
horse around
If you horse around , you play roughly and rather carelessly, so that you could hurt someone or damage something.
horse-breaker
a person who breaks in a horse
horse breeder
a person who breeds horses
horse-collar
a band of leather or rope placed around a horse's neck to restrain or harness it
horse-dealer
a person who buys and sells horses as a profession
horse-doctor
an informal word for a vet who specializes in treating horses
Chinese translation of 'horse'
horse
(hɔːs)
n(c)
马(馬) (mǎ) (匹, pǐ)
All related terms of 'horse'
horse chestnut
( tree ) 七叶(葉)树(樹) qīyèshù [ 棵 kē ]
horse racing
赛(賽)马(馬) sàimǎ
horse riding
骑(騎)马(馬) qímǎ
horse trials
马(馬)术(術)比赛(賽) mǎshù bǐsài
rocking horse
木马(馬) mùmǎ [ 个(個) gè ]
a horse/car ride
骑(騎)马(馬)/乘车(車)出游(遊) qímǎ/chéngchē chūyóu
to put money on a horse
赌(賭)马(馬) dǔmǎ
(noun)
Definition
a four-footed mammal with hooves, a mane, and a tail, used for riding and pulling carts, etc.
A small man on a grey horse had appeared.
Synonyms
nag
a bedraggled knight riding a lame, flea-ridden old nag
mount
the number of owners who care for older mounts
mare
colt
filly
stallion
gelding
jade
pony
yearling
steed (archaic, literary)
dobbin
moke (Australian, slang)
hobby (archaic, dialect)
yarraman or yarramin (Australian)
gee-gee (slang)
cuddy or cuddie (dialect, mainly Scottish)
studhorse or stud
phrasal verb
See horse around or about
idiom
See horse sense
related words
related adjectivesequestrianequinehorsey
related nounequitation
name of malestallion
name of femalemare
name of youngfoalcoltfilly
related maniahippomania
related phobiahippophobia
see also subject word lists:
See Equestrianism
subject word lists
See Breeds of horseSee Types of horseSee Wild horsesSee Extinct horsesSee Legendary/fictional/historical horsesSee Horse coloursSee Horse markingsSee Horse gaitsSee Horse partsSee People associated with horsesSee Tack and equipment and their partsSee Horses, rhinos and other perissodactyls
Quotations
A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! [William Shakespeare – Richard III]A horse is dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middle [Ian Fleming]
proverbs
Don't change horses in midstreamYou can take a horse to water but you cannot make him drinkA nod's as good as a wink to a blind horseNothing is so good for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse