hoof

American  

[hoof, hoof] / hʊf, huf /

noun

plural

hoofs, hooves, hoof

1. the horny covering protecting the ends of the digits or encasing the foot in certain animals, as the ox and horse.

2. the entire foot of a horse, donkey, etc.

3. Older Use. a hoofed animal, especially one of a herd.

4. Informal. the human foot.

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verb (used with object)

1. Slang. to walk (often followed byit ).

   Let's hoof it to the supermarket.

verb (used without object)

1. Slang. to dance, especially to tap-dance.

   He's been hoofing at the Palladium.

idioms

1. on the hoof, (of livestock) not butchered; live.

   The city youngsters were seeing lambs on the hoof for the first time.

hoof British  

/ huːf /

noun

1. 1. the horny covering of the end of the foot in the horse, deer, and all other ungulate mammals

   2. ( in combination )

      a hoofbeat

2. the foot of an ungulate mammal

3. a hoofed animal

4. facetious a person's foot

5. 1. (of livestock) alive

   2. in an impromptu manner

      he did his thinking on the hoof

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verb

1. (tr) to kick or trample with the hoofs

2. slang

   1. to walk

   2. to dance

Other Word Forms

• hoofiness noun
• hoofless adjective
• hooflike adjective

Etymology

Origin of hoof

First recorded before 1000; Middle English (noun); Old English hōf; cognate with Old Frisian hōf, Dutch hoef, German Huf, Old Norse hōfr; compare Sanskrit śaphas

Example Sentences

Foot-and-mouth causes fever and blisters near the hoof and in the mouth that prevent animals from feeding, as seen in the emaciated survivors.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Black cars filled with political leaders and CEOs who didn’t want to hoof it on foot clogged up the town’s two-lane main streets, where the typical year-round population is around 11,000.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

Intense work schedules covering the 2008 banking crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in too many cakes and treats grabbed on the hoof.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

The tips of each of the three hind toes were enclosed in a wedge-shaped hoof with a flat underside, similar to that of a horse.

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2025

He’d lost his tail and a front hoof in the fire.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

Related Words

• paw