thoroughbred

C2 Topic:Animals

US /ˈθɝːəbred/ UK /ˈθʌrəbred/ See IPA manual

Freq #28605

Meanings

1

noun
a horse of the Thoroughbred breed, developed chiefly for racing from English mares and imported Arabian, Barb, and Turkoman stallions

The thoroughbred accelerated strongly in the final stretch of the race.
2

adj
bred from parents of a recognized pure breed and having a recorded pedigree

The farm raises thoroughbred horses for racing.
3

adj
dated and potentially offensive when applied to people: regarded as having unmixed ancestry or as fully representative of a group

The nineteenth-century traveler described the guide as a thoroughbred member of his community.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a horse of the thoroughbred... racehorse

2 adj · bred from parents of a... purebredpedigreed

3 adj · dated and potentially... full-blooded

Opposites

crossbredmixed-breed

Word family

Derived forms thoroughbred racing

Related forms pedigree racehorsebloodstock

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

thoroughbred racing
horse racing in which the competing horses are Thoroughbreds

Noun + noun

Etymology

Formed from thorough, formerly also meaning 'complete,' + bred, the past participle of breed. The equine term became established in the eighteenth century for horses descended from the recognized foundation stock of the English racing breed.

Topics

Animals Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style

External links

# thoroughbred

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈθɝːəbred/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈθʌrəbred/
**Frequency rank:** 28605

## Meanings
1. a horse of the Thoroughbred breed, developed chiefly for racing from English mares and imported Arabian, Barb, and Turkoman stallions
2. bred from parents of a recognized pure breed and having a recorded pedigree
3. dated and potentially offensive when applied to people: regarded as having unmixed ancestry or as fully representative of a group

## Examples
- The thoroughbred accelerated strongly in the final stretch of the race.
- The farm raises thoroughbred horses for racing.
- The nineteenth-century traveler described the guide as a thoroughbred member of his community.

## Synonyms
- purebred
- pedigreed
- racehorse

## Antonyms
- crossbred
- mixed-breed

## Derived Forms
- thoroughbred racing

## Related Forms
- pedigree
- racehorse
- bloodstock

## Etymology
Formed from thorough, formerly also meaning 'complete,' + bred, the past participle of breed. The equine term became established in the eighteenth century for horses descended from the recognized foundation stock of the English racing breed.

## Topics
- Animals
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- Register & Style

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