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Synonyms

foal

American  
[fohl] / foʊl /

noun

  1. a young horse, mule, or related animal, especially one that is not yet one year of age.

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to give birth to (a colt or filly).

foal British  
/ fəʊl /

noun

  1. the young of a horse or related animal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to give birth to (a foal)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unfoaled adjective

Etymology

Origin of foal

before 950; (noun) Middle English fole, Old English fola; cognate with Old High German folo ( German Fohlen ); akin to Latin pullus young animal, Greek pôlos foal; (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A brown foal with a white stripe on its muzzle teetered on toothpick legs.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

Mr Cameron added that the mare of the first animal they lost "went back on her own to the area she was last with her foal".

From BBC • Sep. 3, 2025

He went to check on the foal and the mum but discovered another foal, stillborn, at the other side of the paddock.

From BBC • May 3, 2025

As a May foal, he was a little late developing.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2025

At Torak’s feet lay a dead foal, its small hooves still crusted with river clay from its final drink.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.