quarter horse

noun

An American breed of horse originally bred for short-distance racing.

First used 19th c.
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounquarter horse (plural quarter horses)

plural quarter horses · alternative quarterhorse · alternative quarter-horse

  1. An American breed of horse originally bred for short-distance racing.First known use 19th c.

    I'm getting ready to go out and play the quarter horses.

    1980, Charles Bukowski, letter, 4 November, in On Writing, Canongate 2016, p. 158
    1 more example

    When the last tune of music floated from the fleet, he unstabled his quarter horse and headed for the coastal road leading west and north on his circuit.

    1992, Elizabeth Darracott Wheeler, Sir John Dodderidge, Celebrated Barrister of Britain, 1555-1628

Origin

Named for its ability to outdistance other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

quarter horse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quarter%20horse

MLA

“quarter horse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quarter%20horse. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “quarter horse,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quarter%20horse.

Source: quarter horse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.