one-horse

adjective

ˈwən-ˈhȯrs How to pronounce one-horse (audio)
Synonyms of one-horsenext
1
: drawn or operated by one horse
2
: small, small-time
… the only way a lot of kids stuck in one-horse towns know that they can find life-changing fame and fortune is on the stage.—Neely Tucker

Examples of one-horse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
By the end of my life, there may be no one left who speaks like my father outside the hollers and the one-horse towns. — Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026 But, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, this isn't a one-horse race. — Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025 If either achieves even half the cadence and reliability of Falcon 9, the private space industry will finally move from a one-horse race to a true competition. — Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025 This week's Far-Flung Postcard series takes you to a food stand in the one-horse town of Marikavalasa in India, where working women go to enjoy a treat and unwind in the evening before returning to the grind. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 11 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for one-horse

Word History

First Known Use

1734, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of one-horse was in 1734

Rhymes for one-horse

See All Rhymes for one-horse

Browse Nearby Words

one-horned rhinoceros
one-horse
one-hundred-percent
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“One-horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-horse. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

one-horse

adjective
: small and unimportant
a one-horse town

More from Merriam-Webster on one-horse

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for one-horse

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