horseshoe
horseshoe — noun
- horseshoesingular
- horseshoesplural
1. A curved metal plate fastened to the bottom part of a horse's foot, protecting t
A curved metal plate fastened to the bottom part of a horse's foot, protecting the hoof from wear when the animal walks or runs on hard roads or tracks.
The farrier nailed a new horseshoe onto the horse's left front hoof before the ride.
farrier + nailed + hoof: the fitting process
Ada found a horseshoe in the barn and hung it over the door for luck.
collocation: find a horseshoe; lucky charm tradition
A loose horseshoe can cause a horse to go lame if not replaced in time.
The blacksmith hammered a glowing iron bar into a horseshoe on the anvil.
blacksmith: the traditional maker of horseshoes
- nail a horseshoe
- fit a horseshoe
- replace a horseshoe
- lose a horseshoe
- lucky horseshoe
- hoof shoe
less common technical term used by farriers and veterinarians
Grammar Patterns
a horseshoe + verb (falls off / needs replacing)
verb + a horseshoe (fit / nail / find / lose)
Usage Note
A farrier is a trained specialist who fits and nails horseshoes. Horseshoes are widely regarded as lucky charms in many cultures and are often hung above doorways with the open end facing up so the luck does not 'run out'.
Common Mistakes
2. An outdoor game in which players take turns throwing horseshoes at a metal rod f
An outdoor game in which players take turns throwing horseshoes at a metal rod fixed in the ground, aiming to land the shoe around the rod or as close to it as possible to score points.
On summer afternoons, Christopher and his uncle would play horseshoes in the backyard for hours.
Hoa pitched the horseshoe and it landed right around the rod — a perfect ringer.
collocation: pitch / throw a horseshoe; ringer = perfect throw
The county fair had a horseshoe tournament, and Constanza signed up with her father.
a horseshoe tournament: attributive noun before another noun
Sivan learned to pitch horseshoes at camp and quickly became the group's best player.
- play horseshoes
- pitch a horseshoe
- throw a horseshoe
- horseshoe tournament
- horseshoe pit
Grammar Patterns
play + horseshoes
a horseshoe + tournament / match / game
Usage Note
In American English the game is almost always referred to in the plural form: 'play horseshoes' (treated as a singular activity). A throw that wraps around the rod is called a 'ringer' and is the highest-scoring throw.
Common Mistakes
3. Something that has a curved, U-shaped form like a horseshoe — for example, a val
Something that has a curved, U-shaped form like a horseshoe — for example, a valley, a bend in a road or river, or seating arranged in a half-circle.
The river wound through a horseshoe-shaped valley flanked by steep cliffs on both sides.
geography: horseshoe-shaped valley / horseshoe valley
Faisal put the chairs in a horseshoe around the table so all saw the presenter.
arrangement: in a horseshoe around [something]
From the airplane, Aoi could see the horseshoe bend of the Mississippi River gleaming below.
The hotel lobby had a large horseshoe-shaped sofa where guests could sit and chat.
horseshoe-shaped sofa: furniture arrangement
- horseshoe valley
- horseshoe bend
- horseshoe shape
- horseshoe arrangement
- horseshoe seating
Grammar Patterns
horseshoe-shaped + noun
horseshoe + noun (valley / bend / table)
a horseshoe of + noun
Usage Note
This sense often appears in geography (horseshoe valley, horseshoe bend) and in descriptions of seating or furniture layouts (horseshoe formation, horseshoe table). The word can be used as an attributive noun before another noun or as part of the compound adjective 'horseshoe-shaped'.