horseshoes
horseshoes — noun
1. the curved iron pieces, shaped like the letter U, that are nailed onto a horse's
the curved iron pieces, shaped like the letter U, that are nailed onto a horse's feet so the feet do not wear down on hard ground
Gabriela's farm keeps two boxes of spare horseshoes near the stable door.
set/spare horseshoes — common storage noun phrase
The blacksmith heated the horseshoes until they glowed bright orange.
blacksmith heated the horseshoes — typical forging scene
Worn-out horseshoes were stacked in the corner of Tamás's workshop.
All four horseshoes fell off during the long ride through the rocky hills.
- shoes
short everyday form when the context (a horse, a farrier) is already clear
文法句型
horseshoes + plural verb
set of horseshoes
用法筆記
Frequently appears as a count noun in the plural because each horse needs four. Use this sense for the physical metal pieces themselves; for the act of fitting them, the related verb is 'shoe' (past tense 'shod').
常見錯誤
2. things in nature or design that curve into a U-shape, like a valley, a row of se
things in nature or design that curve into a U-shape, like a valley, a row of seats, or a desk arrangement
Two green horseshoes of farmland wrapped around the hillside village.
horseshoes of farmland — geographic U-shape
The meeting room had three small horseshoes of chairs facing the screen.
horseshoes of chairs — seating arrangement use
From the plane, Maeve could see deep river horseshoes cut into the dry plain.
Garden designers shaped the rose beds into neat horseshoes around the fountain.
文法句型
shaped like horseshoes
horseshoes of [feature]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 by context: this sense almost always pairs with a 'shape' word ('shaped like', 'in the form of') or a feature noun ('river horseshoes', 'horseshoes of seats'). The reader should be able to picture a U.
3. an outdoor game where two players or two teams toss U-shaped metal rings at a sh
an outdoor game where two players or two teams toss U-shaped metal rings at a short post stuck in the ground and earn points for landing each ring on or near the post
Cyrus and his cousins played horseshoes in the back yard every Sunday afternoon.
played horseshoes — typical 'play + game name' frame
A friendly game of horseshoes started right after lunch at the family picnic.
a game of horseshoes — common noun-phrase frame
Saira learned to throw straight by practising horseshoes with her grandfather.
At the summer fair, prizes were given for darts, ring toss, and horseshoes.
文法句型
play horseshoes
a game of horseshoes
用法筆記
Although the word looks plural, the game name takes a singular verb when paired with 'a game of': 'A game of horseshoes is fun.' Common in American backyards, parks, and family gatherings rather than formal sport.