workhorse
noun
work·horse
ˈwərk-ˌhȯrs 
1
: a horse used chiefly for labor as distinguished from driving, riding, or racing
2
a(1)
: a person who performs most of the work of a group task
(2)
: a hardworking person
b
: something that is markedly useful, durable, or dependable
c
Examples of workhorse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The vibes may be workhorse versus show horse, but each is equally effective.
—
Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Warehouses and Data Centers are the invisible workhorses of the 21st century that make both worlds possible.
—Timothy Papandreou, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Ampere and Hopper are the workhorses for today’s large language model (LLM) training.
—Mark Liu, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 2024
The spaceship and the Super Heavy booster it is attached to are intended to eventually replace the company’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket.
—Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Best Robot Vacuum: Shark Detect Pro Self-Empty Robot Vacuum
This robot vacuum is a straightforward workhorse with smart mapping abilities and an impressively small footprint.
—Ella Field, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Mar. 2024
Seven of the jets were Su-34 fighter-bombers, workhorse aircraft of the Russian army, of which three went down in a single day.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
This reusable tarp with handles has been a workhorse in my garden for collecting organic matter and transporting it to its proper place.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024
Shop the elegant workhorse for a whopping $318 off.
—Rachel Simon, Southern Living, 21 Mar. 2024
Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Warehouses and Data Centers are the invisible workhorses of the 21st century that make both worlds possible.
—Timothy Papandreou, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Ampere and Hopper are the workhorses for today’s large language model (LLM) training.
—Mark Liu, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 2024
The spaceship and the Super Heavy booster it is attached to are intended to eventually replace the company’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket.
—Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Best Robot Vacuum: Shark Detect Pro Self-Empty Robot Vacuum
This robot vacuum is a straightforward workhorse with smart mapping abilities and an impressively small footprint.
—Ella Field, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Mar. 2024
Seven of the jets were Su-34 fighter-bombers, workhorse aircraft of the Russian army, of which three went down in a single day.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
This reusable tarp with handles has been a workhorse in my garden for collecting organic matter and transporting it to its proper place.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024
Shop the elegant workhorse for a whopping $318 off.
—Rachel Simon, Southern Living, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'workhorse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near workhorse
Cite this Entry
“Workhorse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/workhorse. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
workhorse
noun
work·horse
ˈwərk-ˌhȯ(ə)rs
1
: a horse used for hard work (as on a farm)
2
a
: a person who does most of the work of a group task
b
: something that is useful, durable, or dependable
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share