hoof

[ hoof, hoof ]

noun

, plural hoofs or hooves [h, oo, vz, hoovz] 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.

verb (used with object)

1. Slang. to walk (often followed by it ):

   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.

hoof

/ 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 ) ungular

      a hoofbeat

2. the foot of an ungulate mammal
3. a hoofed animal
4. facetious.
   a person's foot
5. on the hoof
   1. (of livestock) alive
   2. in an impromptu manner

      he did his thinking on the hoof

verb

1. tr to kick or trample with the hoofs
2. hoof it slang.
   1. to walk
   2. to dance

Derived Forms

• ˈhoofˌlike, adjective
• ˈhoofless, adjective

Other Words From

• hoofi·ness noun
• hoofless adjective
• hooflike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hoof¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hoof¹

Old English hōf; related to Old Norse hōfr, Old High German huof (German Huf ), Sanskrit saphás

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

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

Example Sentences

No longer delivered "on the hoof" to cities, cattle were now slaughtered in Chicago and sent East as tinned meat or, after the 1870s, in refrigerated railcars.

From Salon

The calf has been spotted walking around the stable exploring his environment, sticking close to mum while he grows steadier on his hooves.

From BBC

“There are scenes with galloping horses in the film, and the sound of the hoofs will match the rhythm of the music,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

Rebekah Morris, known as Becki, died with injuries "consistent with hoof marks" on the evening of 9 July 2022, when she was walking her dog in a field near Littlethorpe, Leicestershire.

From BBC

It is just covered in scars, hoofs that hit him, or fights in the past, or this and that.

From Salon

Related Words

• paw