Meanings
plural standardbreds
- hobbiesA breed of horse bred specifically for harness racing
"Jockeys waste and drivers don't and maybe the breed (standardbred) might be a bit more conducive to the conditions."
2009 January 30, Tim Habel, Matt Stewart, “Heat on VRC to delay Flemington meeting”, in Herald Sun
Origin
From standard + bred. In this context, the word "standard" refers to the fact that in the early decades of the breed's development, all breeding stock had to meet a specific performance standard, namely ability to trot or pace a mile in no more than 2 minutes, 30 seconds.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
standardbred. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/standardbred
“standardbred.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/standardbred. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “standardbred,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/standardbred.
Source: standardbred on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.