English dictionary — definitions & meanings

horseman

noun

A man who rides a horse, especially one who does so skillfully.

horsemanship

noun

The skill of horseriding, and sometimes of training and managing horses.

horsen

adj

Of or pertaining to horses; equine

horseplay

noun

Rough, boisterous physical play — pushing, wrestling, chasing and mock fighting — carried on for fun but with a real chance of somebody getting hurt or something getting broken.

horsepower

noun

A unit for measuring the power of an engine, roughly equal to 746 watts.

horseradish

noun

A plant grown for its sharp, pungent root.

horseshit

noun

Vulgar slang for nonsense or lies; a coarse synonym of "bullshit."

horseshoe

noun

A U-shaped metal shoe nailed to a horse's hoof for protection.

horseshoes

noun

A game in which players toss horseshoes at a metal stake to score points.

Horsey

name

An English surname, also the name of a village in Norfolk, England.

horsing

noun

The gerund form of "horse" used in playful or rough activity, as in "horsing around."

horst

noun

In geology, a raised block of the Earth's crust sitting between two faults.

horsy

adj

Of, relating to, or similar to horses.

Hortense

name

A feminine given name of French origin, also the name of a small community in Georgia, United States.

hortensia

noun

hydrangea (Hydrangea spp.)

horticulture

noun

The art or science of cultivating gardens; gardening.

Horton

name

An English habitational surname, also the name of numerous villages in England and towns across the United States and Australia.

Horus

name

The ancient Egyptian falcon-headed god of the sky, sun, war, and kingship.

Horvath

name

A Hungarian surname meaning "Croatian."

hosanna

interjection

A shout of praise or joyful worship, especially in Christian and Jewish religious tradition.

hose

noun

A flexible tube used to carry water or other liquid.

hosebag

noun

An undesirable, boorish, unintelligent, or objectionable person; a hoser.

hosed

adjective

Informal: ruined, broken, or in serious trouble.

Hoskins

name

An English surname, also the name of small communities in Nebraska and Oregon.

hospice

noun

A facility or program providing comfort-focused care for people who are terminally ill, rather than treatment aimed at a cure.

hospitable

adjective

Warm and generous toward guests or visitors.

hospital

noun

A medical facility where sick or injured people receive treatment, often including surgery and overnight care.

hospitalised

adjective

Admitted to a hospital for treatment.

hospitality

noun

Friendly, generous treatment of guests or visitors.

hospitalization

noun

The act or period of being treated as a patient in a hospital.

hospitalized

adjective

Admitted to a hospital for treatment.

Hoss

name

A surname, also familiar as the nickname of a character on the television show Bonanza.

host

noun

A person who welcomes and entertains guests, or who runs an event.

hostage

noun

A person held captive to force someone else to do, or not do, something.

hostel

noun

Cheap, shared lodging for travelers, often with dormitory-style rooms.

hostelry

noun

An inn that provides overnight accommodation for travellers (and, originally, their horses).

hostess

noun

A woman who welcomes and entertains guests, or who runs an event.

hostie

noun

the consecrated bread or wafer of the Eucharist, host.

hostile

adjective

Unfriendly or aggressive, like an enemy.

hostilities

noun

Acts of war or armed conflict.

hostility

noun

Unfriendly or aggressive feelings or behavior.

hosting

noun

The act of running and maintaining a website or computer service for someone else.

hostler

noun

A worker employed at an inn, hostelry, or stable to look after horses.

hot

adj

Having or giving off a high temperature.

hot wallet

noun

A cryptocurrency wallet whose secret keys are held on a device connected to the internet, such as a phone app, a browser extension or an exchange account, making it quick to use and reachable by online attackers.

Hotaru

name

A Japanese feminine given name meaning "firefly."

hotbed

noun

A place or situation where something, especially something undesirable, develops quickly and intensely.

hotcake

noun

Synonym of pancake.

hotch

verb

To jerk or jiggle irregularly, moving up and down in short, uneven motions.

Hotchkiss

name

An English surname, also the name of a town in Colorado, United States.

hotdish

noun

A variety of baked casserole that typically contains a starch, a meat or other protein, and a canned and/or frozen vegetable, mixed with canned soup.

hotel

noun

A large town house or mansion; a grand private residence, especially in France.

hotfoot

noun

The prank of secretly inserting a match between the sole and upper of a victim's shoe and then lighting it.

hothead

noun

Someone who loses their temper easily or is quick to pick a fight.

hotheaded

adj

Easily angered or overexcited; prone to acting rashly.

hothouse

noun

A heated greenhouse used for growing plants that need warmth.

hotline

noun

A dedicated phone line staffed to give immediate help or advice.

hotness

noun

The state or quality of being hot.

hots

noun

Strong physical or sexual attraction toward someone (used with "the" and "for").

hotshot

noun

Someone considered highly skilled or successful in their field, often said with a hint of sarcasm.

hotspot

noun

A place where a wireless network is made available so that people nearby can get online, such as in a café, hotel or airport.

hotter

noun

Someone who steals a vehicle to joyride in it.

hottie

noun

A physically attractive person.

hotting

noun

Riding in a high-performance stolen car, especially as a form of display.

Hou

name

A Chinese surname, also the name of a town near Xi'an, China.

Houdini

noun

A skilled escape artist, or someone who slips out of tricky situations.

Houlihan

noun

A lasso throw used in rodeo and roping in which the loop is cast with a downward, sweeping motion.

hound

noun

A dog, especially a breed bred for hunting by scent or sight.

hounding

noun

Relentless, persistent pursuit or harassment.

hour

noun

A unit of time equal to sixty minutes, one twenty-fourth of a day.

hourglass

noun

A timekeeping device with two glass bulbs joined by a narrow neck, through which sand trickles from top to bottom.

houri

noun

A beautiful virgin girl supposed to dwell in Paradise for the enjoyment of the faithful.

hourly

adj

Happening once every hour.

hours

noun

The plural of hour: periods of sixty minutes.

house

noun

A building where people live, typically a single family.

houseboat

noun

A boat fitted out as a permanent or semi-permanent home.

houseboy

noun

A young male servant employed to do domestic work in a household.

housed

adj

Provided with, enclosed in, or covered by a house or shelter.

housegirl

noun

A girl or young woman employed in a private home to do housework.

houseguest

noun

Someone staying overnight or longer as a visitor in another person's home.

household

noun

All the people who live together in one home, including family and any live-in staff.

householder

noun

The owner of a house.

housekeeper

noun

Someone employed to manage the cleaning and upkeep of a home, hotel, or institution.

housekeeping

noun

The tasks of cleaning and maintaining a home, or the staff who do this in a hotel or institution.

houseless

adj

Lacking a house, or, by extension, a residence or place of refuge in general; thus, having no home.

housemade

adj

Produced in house or by the establishment in which they are sold

housemaid

noun

A woman employed to clean and maintain a household.

houseman

noun

A male domestic servant or retainer.

housemate

noun

Someone living in the same house.

houser

noun

One who, or that which, houses.

housewarming

noun

A party held to celebrate moving into a new home.

housewife

noun

A woman whose main role is managing the home rather than working outside it.

housework

noun

Domestic chores such as cleaning, laundry, and cooking.

housing

noun

Buildings for people to live in, considered collectively.

hove

verb

A past tense of "heave," used especially in nautical contexts to describe a ship coming into view or coming to a stop.

hovel

noun

A small, poorly built and often squalid dwelling; a shack.

hover

verb

To remain suspended in one place in the air.

hovercraft

noun

A vehicle that travels on a cushion of air, able to move over both land and water.

hovering

noun

The act of remaining suspended in one place, or of lingering nearby.

how

adv

By what means, method, or manner.

howdy

intj

An informal greeting.

Howe

name

An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a small hill, also the name of villages in England and towns in the United States.

however

adv

Nevertheless; in spite of what was just said.

Howie

name

A diminutive of the given name Howard, and also a surname.

howitzer

noun

A cannon that combines certain characteristics of field guns and mortars, delivering projectiles with medium velocities, usually with relatively high trajectories; normally a cannon with a tube length of 20 to 30 calibers.

howl

noun

The long, mournful cry of a wolf, dog, or similar animal.

howlarious

adj

Extremely hilarious; funny enough to make one howl with laughter.

howler

noun

That which howls, especially an animal such as a wolf or a howler monkey.

howling

noun

The act or sound of howling.

Howser

name

A surname.

howsoever

adv

Regardless of the way in which.

hoy

noun

A small single-masted boat once used to ferry passengers and cargo along the coast or to larger ships.

hoyden

noun

A rude, uncultured or rowdy girl or woman.

Hoyle

name

An English surname, notably borne by Edmond Hoyle, whose name became synonymous with the rules of card games.

Hoyt

name

An English topographical surname for someone who lived on high ground, also a male given name and the name of small communities in Kansas and elsewhere.

Hrs

name

A male given name from the Slavic languages.

HS

noun

High school; the secondary school stage in the United States, usually covering ages fourteen to eighteen.

Hsiao

name

A Chinese surname.

Hsu

name

A Chinese surname.

HTML

noun

The language used to set out the content and structure of a web page — marking which parts are headings, paragraphs, lists, images, links and so on — using tags written around the text.

HTTP

noun

The set of rules browsers and servers follow to exchange web pages and other files: the browser sends a request, the server sends back a response along with a status code saying what happened.

HTTPS

noun

A secured version of HTTP, in which traffic between browser and server is encrypted so that others on the network cannot read or alter it, and the site presents a certificate proving it is who it claims to be.

Hu

pron

A gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun (they/them/their), used instead of he/she.

Hua

name

A Chinese surname, also the name of a county of Anyang, Henan, China.

Huai

name

A major river in China, running between the Yellow River and the Yangtze.

Huang

name

A Chinese surname meaning "yellow."

hub

noun

The central part of a wheel, around which it turns.

hubba

noun

A tiny unit of weight or measure, historically used in South Asian and Middle Eastern trade for grains or seeds.

Hubbard

name

An English surname, also the name of towns in Iowa, Ohio, Oregon, and Texas.

Hubbell

name

An English surname, notably borne by baseball pitcher Carl Hubbell.

Hubble

noun

A loud commotion or uproar.

hubbub

noun

A loud, confused noise made by a crowd of people talking or shouting at once; an uproar.

hubbuboo

noun

A hubbub; a noisy disturbance.

hubby

noun

(informal) Husband.

Huber

name

A German surname, historically referring to the tenant of a small farm.

Huberman

name

A surname.

Hubert

name

A male given name of Germanic origin, borne by an 8th-century bishop who became the patron saint of hunters; also a surname.

hubris

noun

Excessive pride or self-confidence, especially the kind that leads to a downfall.

huck

verb

(informal, sports) To throw something, or to throw oneself off a jump or drop.

huckleberry

noun

A small, dark blue or red berry from certain shrubs related to blueberries.

huckster

noun

A peddler or hawker, who sells small items, either door-to-door, from a stall, or in the street.

hud

noun

The hard outer shell or husk of a nut.

huddle

noun

A small group of people or things gathered closely together.

huddled

adj

Crowded closely together.

Hudson

name

An English surname originating as a patronymic.

hue

noun

A color, or a particular shade or tint of a color.

huer

noun

A person who shouts a warning or raises an alarm.

huerta

noun

A fertile, irrigated agricultural region, especially in southeastern Spain.

huevos

noun

Short for huevos rancheros, a Mexican breakfast dish of fried eggs served on tortillas with tomato-chili sauce.

Huey

noun

An informal American name for a Bell UH-1 Iroquois military helicopter, widely used during the Vietnam War.