high horse

American  

noun

1. a haughty attitude or temper; a contemptuous manner.

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high horse Cultural  

1. To be on one's “high horse” is to be disdainful or conceited: “Sally got tired of Peter's snobbery and finally told him to get off his high horse.”

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high horse Idioms  

1. see on one's high horse.

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Etymology

Origin of high horse

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

Example Sentences

I have no claim to a high horse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

“She needs to get off her high horse and not think that I was thinking about her for the last 15 years.”

From Salon • Nov. 19, 2024

“Sometimes college students don’t understand the severity of things,” Oats said from his high horse following the game.

From Washington Post • Mar. 1, 2023

“I can make a point and stand on a high horse, but that doesn’t get me anywhere.”

From New York Times • Apr. 21, 2021

“Well, you’d better make peace with her. Sweet, she gets on a high horse sometimes, but she’s a good woman—” “It was about Hank and she made me mad.”

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee