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racehorse

racehorse

35 2.2
A horse bred and trained to run in races
  • noun
  • /ˈreɪsˌhɔrs/
translation icon : caballo de carreras
  • Every racehorse at the track needs to be well-trained to compete effectively.

Now it is true you cannot make a racehorse out of a pig, but you can make a really fast pig.

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Examples

  • Here we have the California Wonder Accident, the legendary racehorse of the then California Governor Leland Stanford.

  • And yet he is still, to this day, considered the greatest racehorse that ever lived.

    Blog text (18)
  • Sometimes a racehorse needs a little room to run.

  • No one will think anything odd of me going to see your racehorse.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • And every good racehorse has a jockey.

  • Why, the Hanahans had an interest in a racehorse a few years ago.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Oh, I own some racehorses.

  • We also judge that some good tomatoes are better than others, and some good racehorses are better than others.

    Academic text (1994)
  • One of the racehorses coming from Ireland got colic and had to be off-loaded in Brussels.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Once a breeder of some of the most successful racehorses in the world, Darren had turned his attention to nurturing athletically advanced human orphans.

Synonyms

pony
vsracehorse
  • Jargon
18 7.2

A racehorse that people bet on at the racetrack

is the standard neutral term rather than informal usage
thoroughbred
vsracehorse
14 5.5

A fast type of horse bred for racing

is the broader label for any horse bred and trained to compete
racer
vsracehorse
2 2.0

An animal like a horse or dog that runs in competitions to see who is fastest

is specific to horses bred and trained to compete in racing
bangtail
vsracehorse
  • Jargon
1 9.9

A horse raised for racing, like a racehorse

is the general term for any horse bred and trained to compete

Idioms

To need to pee very badly, often after drinking a lot

How Fast

racehorse
35 2.2
riding horse
1 2.3
draft horse
  • US
1 3.8

Surface Forms

racehorse singular
racehorses plural

Morphology

racehorse = race + horse (transparent) = race + horse

The compound is a direct combination of 'race' + 'horse' meaning a horse bred and trained for racing; the meaning is predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Racehorse comes from the two words race and horse. The part race once meant a 'running contest', so a racehorse is a horse bred and trained to run fast in competitions.