workhorse

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See also: work horse

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From work +‎ horse.

Pronunciation

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  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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workhorse (plural workhorses)

  1. A horse used primarily for manual labor; a draft horse.
    Synonyms: (Britain, dialectal, one sense) aver, draft horse
  2. (by extension) Someone or something that does a lot of work; something or someone who works consistently or regularly.
    Those old machines are not very glamorous, but even 20 years after their introduction, they are still the workhorses of the industry.
    • 2018 October 15, Phil McNulty, “Spain 2-3 England”, in BBC Sport[1]:
      Captain Harry Kane was the workhorse and creator, while Sterling and Rashford provided the finishing flourishes that put England in dreamland at the interval.
    • 2023 November 1, “Network News: Strong industry interest as Positive Traction launches '08e'”, in RAIL, number 995, page 18:
      "Class 08s have been the workhorses of ports, distribution centres and depots across Britain's railway for more than 60 years," said Positive Traction Director Alistair Gregory.

Translations

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See also

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Further reading

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