Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To cause to fall from a horse.
  • transitive verb To overthrow or dislodge; upset.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To throw or strike down from a horse; cause to dismount or fall from the saddle.
  • To deprive of a horse or horses; remove the horse or horses from.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To throw from a horse; to cause to dismount; also, to take a horse or horses from.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To forcibly remove from a horse.
  • verb by extension To disrupt or unseat; to remove from a position.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb alight from (a horse)

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word unhorse.

Examples

  • Doubtless you include yourself among that numerous tribe of Texas titans who can "unhorse" me as easily as turning a hen over; and having accorded you unlimited space in which to acquire momentum, I would certainly dread the shock were I cursed with an atom of polemical pride.

    The Complete Works of Brann the Iconoclast, Volume 10 1905

  • In response, the New Deal attempted to unhorse those President Franklin Roosevelt termed “economic royalists,” who were growing rich off “other people’s money” while the country suffered its worst trauma since the Civil War. “The Street” trembled.

    Steve Fraser: The All-American Occupation Steve Fraser 2011

  • But one of the movie's many pleasures comes in watching Wright – who always thinks cinematically – adapt himself to a comic book-inspired piece of intelligent action trash, and he somehow maintains his grip until about 15 minutes before wrap time, when the cliches of the genre finally encircle and unhorse him.

    Joe Wright: wrong for Hollywood? 2011

  • Scarcely did I catch her words, for a man sprang in, seizing my bridle-rein and leg and struggling to unhorse me.

    Chapter 17 2010

  • In response, the New Deal attempted to unhorse those President Franklin Roosevelt termed “economic royalists,” who were growing rich off “other people’s money” while the country suffered its worst trauma since the Civil War. “The Street” trembled.

    Steve Fraser: The All-American Occupation Steve Fraser 2011

  • She checked the straps on her leg armor, making sure they were tight, remembering how the enemy's strong fingers had clawed at her legs, trying to unhorse her.

    Men Don't Leave Me 2010

  • She remembered men grabbing for her, trying to unhorse her, but she didn't recall their hands actually clawing at her.

    Men Don't Leave Me 2010

  • Kahlan saw General Meiffert reach up, seize a fistful of chain mail, and unhorse the man who had been dragging her tent.

    Men Don't Leave Me 2010

  • King Kryger first saw Ray carrying another boy in a school-yard fight game called Horse, in which two heavier boys carried two lighter boys on their shoulders, and the boys on top grappled and tried to “unhorse” each other.

    Raymond Carver Carol Sklenicka 2009

  • Jousting, a sport that involves two opponents trying to unhorse each other with a lance, began in France as early as the 12th century as a way for aristocrats to polish their combat skills and validate their warrior status.

    Nascar's Roots May Go Way Back 2009

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Car-dealer term for hiding a buyer's trade-in vehicle to keep them from leaving. Also known as "dehorse".

    September 8, 2018