horse
horse — noun
1. People ride this large, strong animal or use it to carry goods and pull vehicles
People ride this large, strong animal or use it to carry goods and pull vehicles on farms.
Lara learned to ride a horse when she was six years old.
collocation: ride a horse
The farmer used two horses to pull the heavy cart full of hay.
collocation: horses pull [a cart/vehicle]
Tariq brushed the horse's coat until it shone in the sunlight.
Hari leads the horse to the stream every morning and waits while it drinks the cold, fresh water.
Padma watched the horses gallop across the wide open field at sunset.
文法句型
a horse / horses
用法筆記
Use 'pony' for small breeds — a pony is not a baby horse but a different size category.
常見錯誤
2. The activity of betting money on horse races, hoping to pick the winner and rece
The activity of betting money on horse races, hoping to pick the winner and receive a payout.
Cole spent the whole afternoon at the horse track, studying each horse's past results before placing a bet.
collocation: horse track / place a bet
Some gamblers study the horses for weeks before placing a single bet.
collocation: place a bet
Tariro's uncle lost a lot of money on the horses last season.
The annual racing festival drew huge crowds to the racecourse, with spectators lining the fences before the first race.
文法句型
the horses / the horse
用法筆記
In this sense, 'the horses' or 'the horse' refers to the sport of horse racing as a gambling activity, not to individual animals.
3. A padded block on four legs used in gymnastics for athletes to jump or vault ove
A padded block on four legs used in gymnastics for athletes to jump or vault over.
Sora ran toward the horse and vaulted over it with a perfect flip.
collocation: vault over the horse
The coach lowered the horse so the beginners could practice safely.
Élise won a bronze medal for her vault routine on the horse.
Each gymnast jumped onto the horse, pushed off, and landed on the mat.
- vaulting horse
fuller term that specifies the apparatus used in vault events
- pommel horse
a related apparatus with handles on top, used in men's artistic gymnastics
文法句型
the horse
a horse
vault over the horse
用法筆記
Modern competitions use the 'vaulting table' instead of a horse for women's artistic gymnastics, but the term 'horse' is still used for men's pommel horse events.
4. A basketball shooting game in which one player tries a shot and the rest must re
A basketball shooting game in which one player tries a shot and the rest must repeat the same shot or receive a letter from the word HORSE.
Maeve and her friends played HORSE in the driveway, trying to sink tricky shots from behind the garage.
collocation: play HORSE
Daichi sank a free throw, and then Lien had to make the same shot or take the letter H.
game mechanic: copy the shot or get a letter
Reuben won the HORSE game by sinking a shot from behind the basket.
Maeve and Reuben played HORSE until the street lights came on at night.
文法句型
play HORSE
a game of HORSE
用法筆記
The name comes from the word 'HORSE' — each missed copy earns a letter, and the first player to spell the whole word loses. Not related to the animal.
5. A street name for the illegal drug heroin.
A street name for the illegal drug heroin.
The police found a small bag of horse in the abandoned car.
collocation: bag of horse
The documentary showed how quickly an addiction to horse can destroy a life.
At the police station, the officer showed Gita a bag of horse and warned her how dangerous it was.
Health workers warned teenagers about the serious risks of using horse.
文法句型
horse (uncountable)
用法筆記
Highly informal slang. In formal or medical contexts, use 'heroin' instead.
常見錯誤
6. Soldiers who fight on horseback, especially as a military unit in historical war
Soldiers who fight on horseback, especially as a military unit in historical warfare.
General Bilal sent his horse ahead at dawn to scout the enemy camp hidden behind the ridge.
collective noun: horse = cavalry unit
In ancient times, horse and foot soldiers fought together on the battlefield.
The enemy's horse surrounded the village before anyone could escape.
The army had five hundred horse ready to charge at first light.
- cavalry
the standard modern term for troops on horseback or in armored vehicles
- mounted troops
descriptive phrase that avoids ambiguity
文法句型
horse (used as a collective mass noun)
用法筆記
Used as a collective noun similar to 'cavalry' — 'three hundred horse' means three hundred mounted soldiers. Do not add -s for plural.
常見錯誤
7. A wooden or metal frame with legs used to hold boards, pipes, or other materials
A wooden or metal frame with legs used to hold boards, pipes, or other materials while cutting or working on them.
Padma placed the wooden plank across two horses before sawing it.
collocation: across two horses
The carpenter set up a horse under the long beam to keep it steady.
Eri used a horse to hold the metal pipe while she painted it.
The workers set several horses in a row to support the new floorboards.
文法句型
a horse / two horses
用法筆記
Often called a 'sawhorse' when used specifically for cutting wood. 'Horse' alone is common in construction shorthand.
horse — verb
1. To give or supply horses to people or military units for riding or pulling loads
To give or supply horses to people or military units for riding or pulling loads.
The army spent the winter horsing its new cavalry recruits.
collocation: horse [troops/recruits]
The village stable horsed thirty riders for the annual harvest parade through town.
collocation: horse [number] riders
All the soldiers were well horsed before the long journey began.
The wealthy landowner horsed his carriage with two fine grey mares.
The village had to horse the messenger so he could reach the capital by nightfall.
- supply with horses
modern, more transparent phrasing
- mount
similar meaning — to provide someone with a horse or vehicle to ride
文法句型
horse + [someone/something] + with + [horses]
be horsed
用法筆記
Now rare or historical. Most modern contexts use 'supply with horses' or 'provide horses for' instead.
horse — adjective
1. Relating to, pulled by, or used with horses — describing events, vehicles, or lo
Relating to, pulled by, or used with horses — describing events, vehicles, or locations connected to horses.
The horse market was held in the main square every Saturday morning.
collocation: horse market / horse show / horse farm
Lara's family owns a horse farm with thirty animals and a large stable.
The tourists took a horse carriage ride through the historic streets of the town.
The annual horse show attracted visitors and riders from five different countries.
- equestrian
more formal term relating to horse riding, from Latin 'equus' meaning horse
文法句型
horse + [noun]
用法筆記
Always used before a noun. Unlike the noun 'horse', this adjective form cannot stand alone — you say 'horse farm', not 'that farm is horse'.
常見錯誤
2. Bigger, rougher, or coarser than the usual form of something — used in compound
Bigger, rougher, or coarser than the usual form of something — used in compound names for plants, animals, or objects.
The comedian's horse laugh filled the room and made everyone smile.
collocation: horse laugh = loud, coarse laugh
A horse mushroom can grow as large as a dinner plate.
The horse chestnut tree drops large, shiny brown nuts in autumn.
Priya took a horse pill with a glass of water because the dose was large.
文法句型
horse + [noun]
用法筆記
Only used in fixed compound phrases (horse laugh, horse mushroom, horse chestnut, horse pill). You cannot freely create new combinations — 'horse book' would not mean 'a large book'.