horseshoes

horseshoes — 名詞

1. the curved iron pieces, shaped like the letter U, that are nailed onto a horse's

1.名詞B2
釋義

馬蹄鐵

釘在馬蹄底下的U形鐵片

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

例句

Gabriela's farm keeps two boxes of spare horseshoes near the stable door.

Gabriela 的農場在馬廄門邊放著兩箱備用的馬蹄鐵。

set/spare horseshoes — common storage noun phrase

The blacksmith heated the horseshoes until they glowed bright orange.

鐵匠把馬蹄鐵加熱到燒得通紅。

blacksmith heated the horseshoes — typical forging scene

同義詞
  • 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

❌The horse lost his horseshoe on every foot.
✅The horse lost all four horseshoes.
💡when speaking about the full set on one horse, the plural is correct.

2. things in nature or design that curve into a U-shape, like a valley, a row of se

2.名詞C1
釋義

馬蹄形物

形狀像U字的山谷、座位或排列

things in nature or design that curve into a U-shape, like a valley, a row of seats, or a desk arrangement

例句

Two green horseshoes of farmland wrapped around the hillside village.

兩片馬蹄形的綠色農地環繞著山坡上的村莊。

horseshoes of farmland — geographic U-shape

The meeting room had three small horseshoes of chairs facing the screen.

會議室裡擺著三組面向螢幕的馬蹄形座位。

horseshoes of chairs — seating arrangement use

同義詞
  • U-shapes

    plain everyday term that points directly to the letter form

  • loops

    broader word that can also mean a full circle, not only a U

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

3.名詞C1
釋義

擲蹄鐵遊戲

把鐵環丟向短木樁的戶外遊戲

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

例句

Cyrus and his cousins played horseshoes in the back yard every Sunday afternoon.

Cyrus 和他的表兄弟每個週日下午都在後院玩擲蹄鐵。

played horseshoes — typical 'play + game name' frame

A friendly game of horseshoes started right after lunch at the family picnic.

家庭野餐午餐後馬上就開始了一場輕鬆的擲蹄鐵比賽。

a game of horseshoes — common noun-phrase frame

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.

常見錯誤

❌We played the horseshoes after dinner.
✅We played horseshoes after dinner.
💡like most game names, no article is needed before the bare verb 'play'.