horse: Meaning and Definition of

horse

Pronunciation: (hôrs), [key]
— n., pl. v., adj. hors•es, horse, horsed, hors•ing,
—n.
  1. a large, solid-hoofed, herbivorous quadruped, Equus caballus, domesticated since prehistoric times, bred in a number of varieties, and used for carrying or pulling loads, for riding, and for racing.
  2. a fully mature male animal of this type; stallion.
  3. any of several odd-toed ungulates belonging to the family Equidae, including the horse, zebra, donkey, and ass, having a thick, flat coat with a narrow mane along the back of the neck and bearing the weight on only one functioning digit, the third, which is widened into a round or spade-shaped hoof.
  4. something on which a person rides, sits, or exercises, as if astride the back of such an animal: rocking horse.
  5. Also calleda frame, block, etc., with legs, on which something is mounted or supported.
    1. Seevaulting horse.
    2. Seepommel horse.
  6. carriage (def. 7).
  7. soldiers serving on horseback; cavalry: a thousand horse.
  8. a man; fellow.
  9. Often,horsepower.
  10. the power or capacity to accomplish something, as by having enough money, personnel, or expertise: Our small company doesn't have the horses to compete against a giant corporation.
  11. a knight.
  12. a crib, translation, or other illicit aid to a student's recitation; trot; pony.
  13. a mass of rock enclosed within a lode or vein.
  14. traveler (def. 6b).
  15. a mold of a curved frame, esp. one used when the complexity of the curves requires laying out at full size.
  16. heroin.
  17. to be mistaken in judgment, esp. in backing a losing candidate.
  18. to attempt to revive a discussion, topic, or idea that has waned, been exhausted, or proved fruitless.
  19. on good authority; from the original or a trustworthy source: I have it straight from the horse's mouth that the boss is retiring.
  20. to check one's impulsiveness; be patient or calm: Hold your horses! I'm almost ready.
  21. something entirely different.
  22. to be critical of a gift.
  23. Mount your horse! Ride!
—v.t.
  1. to provide with a horse or horses.
  2. to set on horseback.
  3. to set or carry on a person's back or on one's own back.
  4. to cut notches for steps into (a carriage beam).
  5. to move with great physical effort or force: It took three men to horse the trunk up the stairs.
    1. to make (a person) the target of boisterous jokes.
    2. to perform boisterously, as a part or a scene in a play.
    1. to caulk (a vessel) with a hammer.
    2. to work or haze (a sailor) cruelly or unfairly.
  6. to place (someone) on a person's back, in order to be flogged.
—v.i.
  1. to mount or go on a horse.
  2. (of a mare) to be in heat.
  3. to have coitus.
  4. to fool around; indulge in horseplay.
—adj.
  1. of, for, or pertaining to a horse or horses: the horse family; a horse blanket.
  2. drawn or powered by a horse or horses.
  3. mounted or serving on horses: horse troops.
  4. unusually large.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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