Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The sound made by each hoof of a hoofed animal as it moves.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The sound of a hoof striking the ground.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From hoof + beat.

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Examples

  • The bone beads at the end of my braids clacked with each thundering hoofbeat.

    No Mercy Lori Armstrong 2010

  • The bone beads at the end of my braids clacked with each thundering hoofbeat.

    No Mercy Lori Armstrong 2010

  • He knew the difference between a horse's hoofbeat and a zebra.

    An Immodest Proposal 1 Dinosaur 2008

  • ~ The hoofbeat of horses -- "Virgil's epic, Aeneid, has been given a dynamic new translation by Frederick Ahl, says Sean O'Brien."

    Speedlinking 11/21/07 William Harryman 2007

  • The hoofbeat of charging horses stole away their moment of tenderness.

    Deuces Wild Dusty Richards 2004

  • The two pushed themselves to the limit, the name "Mina" sounding with every hoofbeat, every beat of Silvanoshei's heart.

    Dragons Of A Vanished Moon Weis, Margaret 2002

  • The two pushed themselves to the limit, the name "Mina" sounding with every hoofbeat, every beat of Silvanoshei's heart.

    Dragons of a Vanished Moon Weis, Margaret 2002

  • As Tarma and her partners rode over golden-grassed hill after undulating hill, even the warsteeds frisked a little, kicking up puffs of dust from the road with each hoofbeat, and they were at the end of the day's journey.

    Oathblood Lackey, Mercedes 1998

  • Every hoofbeat echoed hollowly upon the material of the bridge, and how far would the sound travel?

    If I Pay Thee Not In Gold Lackey, Mercedes 1993

  • I was alone, hearing the noise of the alarm spreading all the way down to Troizen from the Citadel; and with it another sound, the triple hoofbeat of a chariot-team on the road below.

    The Bull From The Sea Renault, Mary 1962

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