hoof
Americannoun
plural
hoofs, hooves, hoof-
the horny covering protecting the ends of the digits or encasing the foot in certain animals, as the ox and horse.
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the entire foot of a horse, donkey, etc.
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Older Use. a hoofed animal, especially one of a herd.
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Informal. the human foot.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
idioms
noun
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the horny covering of the end of the foot in the horse, deer, and all other ungulate mammals
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( in combination )
a hoofbeat
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the foot of an ungulate mammal
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a hoofed animal
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facetious a person's foot
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(of livestock) alive
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in an impromptu manner
he did his thinking on the hoof
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verb
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(tr) to kick or trample with the hoofs
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slang
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to walk
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to dance
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Other Word Forms
- hoofiness noun
- hoofless adjective
- hooflike adjective
Etymology
Origin of hoof
First recorded before 1000; Middle English (noun); Old English hōf; cognate with Old Frisian hōf, Dutch hoef, German Huf, Old Norse hōfr; compare Sanskrit śaphas
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“But keep going so not all your hooves are on the same rock.”
From Literature
Just then Grandpa’s mares started snorting and stomping their hoofs.
From Literature
Milk gave only drippings of milk, our one remaining hen had no eggs, and Nothing bellowed at me because his hooves were frozen to the ground.
From Literature
Earth, grass, and flowers scattered beneath her hooves.
From Literature
There were boys with tiny horns jutting from their foreheads and hooves instead of feet.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
