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.
The Brazilian star was expected to be in a one-horse race for the sport's highest indvidual accolade and become the first man from his country to win it since Kaka in 2007. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 Each table is decorated with a snowman candle holder to drive the theme home on a one-horse open sleigh. Fritz Hahn, Washington Post, 6 Dec. 2023 The contest was effectively a one-horse race, with Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), a political behemoth with a vast war chest, facing no viable opponent after a ruthless, years-long crackdown on its rivals. Reuters, CNN, 23 July 2023 Unfortunately, a ruling from a one-horse federal courtroom in Texas reminds us that there’s almost an endless supply of those litigants and the judges who run with them. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2023

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

Dictionary Entries Near one-horse

Cite this Entry

“One-horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-horse. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

one-horse

adjective
: small and unimportant
a one-horse town

More from Merriam-Webster on one-horse

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!