mustang

American  

[muhs-tang] / ˈmʌs tæŋ /

noun

1. a small, hardy horse of the American plains, descended from Spanish stock.

2. U.S. Navy Slang. a naval officer who received his commission while still an enlisted man.

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verb (used without object)

1. to round up wild horses, especially in order to sell them illegally to slaughterhouses.

mustang British  

/ ˈmʌstæŋ /

noun

1. a small breed of horse, often wild or half wild, found in the southwestern US

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Etymology

Origin of mustang

1800–10, < Spanish mestengo stray or ownerless beast, noun use of masculine adj.: pertaining to a mixed lot of beasts, equivalent to mest ( a ) such a mixed lot (< Latin ( animālia ) mixta mixed (beasts), neuter plural adj., taken as feminine singular noun; mixed ) + -engo adj. suffix

Example Sentences

But there’s speculation that it’s linked to mustang drives between the Owens Valley and Nevada.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

"A wild mustang stallion kicks up a dust storm in north-western Colorado."

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2022

“We had noticed that she’d been slowing down some lately,” the mustang protection group said.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 3, 2021

In the United States, park authorities spend more than $50 million annually to manage booming mustang populations, which are protected from culling by federal law.

From New York Times • Jun. 28, 2020

As Smith watched him in racing combat, images from his mustang days assembled in his head.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• colt
• filly
• mare
• stallion