horseshoe
Other forms: horseshoes
When you think of a horseshoe, don't picture a shoe with a sole and laces! Instead, a horseshoe is an arc-shaped piece of metal that gets nailed into the horse's hoof.
Ever since humans started using horses for riding, pulling carts, and working on farms, they've found ways to guard their hooves against wear and injury. Horseshoes can be nailed onto the thick, fingernail-like hoof, or glued on. Some people consider horseshoes to be lucky symbols as well, while others enjoy the game called horseshoes, which involves throwing large horseshoes toward a metal stake in the ground.
Definitions of horseshoe
-
U-shaped plate nailed to underside of horse's hoof
-
game equipment consisting of an open ring of iron used in playing horseshoes
-
type of:
-
game equipment
equipment or apparatus used in playing a game
-
game equipment
-
equip (a horse) with a horseshoe or horseshoes
Pronunciation
US
/ˌhɔr(s)ˈʃu/
UK
/ˈhɔsʃu/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
A paragraph of text
Copy citationDISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘horseshoe'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up horseshoe for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
