horse-race

IPA/ˈhɔːs reɪs/
IPA/ˈhɔːrs reɪs/

horse-race — noun

1. a sporting event in which horses ridden by jockeys run around a track and try to

1.nounA2
Definition

a sporting event in which horses ridden by jockeys run around a track and try to be the first to cross the finish line

Example

Thousands of fans packed the stands to watch the afternoon horse-race at Churchill Downs.

concrete: literal sporting event

Megan had never been to a horse-race and was amazed by how fast the horses ran.

Common collocations
  • watch a horse-race
  • go to a horse-race
  • bet on a horse-race
  • win a horse-race
Synonyms
  • race

    broader in meaning; can refer to foot races, car races, etc.

  • horse race meeting

    refers to a whole event with multiple races, not a single race

Grammar Patterns

a + horse-race

the + horse-race

2. a competition or election whose outcome can already be guessed before it ends, b

2.nounC1
Definition

a competition or election whose outcome can already be guessed before it ends, because one person or group is so much stronger than the others

Example

Analysts called the primary a horse-race because the senator had secured the party's support.

figurative use: outcome predictable in advance

The bidding war for the warehouse was a horse-race because Kwame's firm already owned the land next door.

Common collocations
  • call something a horse-race
  • a horse-race from the start
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • tight race

    a contest where the outcome is uncertain

Grammar Patterns

a + horse-race

Usage Note

Distinguish from the phrase sense CLOSE CONTEST. This sense describes a competition where the winner is obvious in advance — the opposite of a tight, unpredictable contest.

Common Mistakes

The election was a horse-race between the two equally matched candidates.
The election was a horse-race, with the incumbent far ahead of everyone else.
This sense means one side is already winning, not that the race is close.

horse-race — idiom

Word family

  • horse-racing
    nounB1
  • horse-races
    nounA2
  • horse-race coverage
    noun phraseC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: idiom/1

Horse-race (in its figurative CLOSE CONTEST sense) differs from the broader words contest and competition, which simply describe any event where people try to win something. Battle adds a stronger sense of struggle and opposition, often used in business or politics ('a legal battle over patents'). Neck-and-neck race is the closest synonym but is more explicit about the tension — it always conveys two or more parties running side by side with no clear leader. Horse-race is the most vivid image in American political language: journalists say 'horse-race coverage' to mean reporting focused on poll numbers rather than policy. In everyday conversation, saying 'the election was a horse-race' paints a picture of a fast, exciting, unpredictable finish.

contest ↗competition ↗battle ↗neck-and-neck race

Common collocations

Phrases

  • become a horse-race
  • turn into a horse-race
  • call something a horse-race
  • a real horse-race

Etymology

Old EnglishOld NorseEnglish

A straightforward compound combining 'horse' (from Old English hors, a common Germanic word for the animal) and 'race' (from Old Norse rās, meaning a running or rush). The literal meaning — a contest of speed between horses — has been in English since at least the 1600s. The figurative uses emerged in the mid-20th century. In American English, 'horse-race' came to mean a close, competitive contest (especially political), while some British English uses treat it more like 'one-horse race', meaning a one-sided affair.