hoof
Americannoun
-
the horny covering protecting the ends of the digits or encasing the foot in certain animals, as the ox and horse.
-
the entire foot of a horse, donkey, etc.
-
Older Use. a hoofed animal, especially one of a herd.
-
Informal. the human foot.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
idioms
noun
-
-
the horny covering of the end of the foot in the horse, deer, and all other ungulate mammals
-
( in combination )
a hoofbeat
-
-
the foot of an ungulate mammal
-
a hoofed animal
-
facetious a person's foot
-
-
(of livestock) alive
-
in an impromptu manner
he did his thinking on the hoof
-
verb
-
(tr) to kick or trample with the hoofs
-
slang
-
to walk
-
to dance
-
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Explanation
A foot is to a human what a hoof is to a horse, a goat, or a giraffe. Each hoof protects the animal and helps it to walk and run. A hoof is made of keratin, just like your fingernails, but it tends to be thicker and harder since it has to bear the weight of the animal. Hoof can also be a verb that, surprisingly enough, applies to humans. Maybe you have offered someone a ride, only to be told, "No, I think I'll just hoof it," meaning walk or otherwise go on foot. Hoof is sometimes substituted for dance if the person doing it is getting paid.
Vocabulary lists containing hoof
Horsin' Around
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Snapdragon
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
See Examples For:
Regarding Robertson's own testimony, Keenan said his denials and account of what happened included details "thought up on the hoof to explain difficult scenarios".
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
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
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 is thinking about that, his next move, when he hears slow, muffled hoof clops.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
She knows she can nail this role and she really hoofs it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
“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 ● Oct. 23, 2024
They’ve already had a decent penalty appeal turned down and now they had a free-kick right on the edge of the D. Tom Lawrence hoofs it straight into the wall.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 19, 2022
From the top of the shoulders to their hoofs, the early horses averaged less than 4 feet 10.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 14, 2022
Folks was yelling one after the ’nother, wagons and horses’ hoofs was making sharp clacking sounds on the bricks that covered up the road, hammering and banging was coming from each direction.
From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis
The horses are characterised by their "large size, long legs, well-developed musculature, slender and elegant head -- set on a long, straight neck -- expressive eyes, high withers and sturdy hooves," he added.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
In Colorado, Kimberly Jones has grown her herd of goats from 25 to 250 in seven years, deploying their efficient teeth, hooves and stomachs to clear undergrowth to stem the spread of flames.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
If the clomping hooves from the first horseman’s approaching steed got too loud, we’d just turn the music up.
From Salon ● Dec. 21, 2025
Nothing could have provided a more suitable host than an area of prairie where native grasses had been scythed away and the ground torn up by metal ploughshares and the hooves of a farmer’s horses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
Marshaling her strength, she bends her front knees; her hooves grip and her legs boost off the plank.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
