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View synonyms for horn

horn

[ hawrn ]

noun

  1. one of the bony, permanent, hollow paired growths, often curved and pointed, that project from the upper part of the head of certain hooved mammals, as cattle, sheep, goats, or antelopes.
  2. a similar growth, sometimes of hair, as the median horn or horns on the snout of the rhinoceros, or the tusk of the narwhal.
  3. a process projecting from the head of an animal and suggestive of such a growth, as a feeler, tentacle, or crest.
  4. the bony substance of which such animal growths are composed.
  5. any similar substance, as that forming tortoise shell, hoofs, nails, or corns.
  6. an article made of the material of an animal horn or like substance, as a thimble, spoon, or shoehorn.
  7. any projection or extremity resembling the horn of an animal.
  8. something resembling or suggesting an animal horn:

    a drinking horn.

  9. a part resembling an animal horn attributed to deities, demons, etc.:

    the devil's horn.

  10. Usually horns. the imaginary projections on a cuckold's brow.
  11. Music.
    1. a wind instrument, originally formed from the hollow horn of an animal but now usually made of brass or other metal or plastic.
  12. something used as or resembling such a wind instrument.
  13. Slang. a trumpet.
  14. an instrument for sounding a warning signal:

    an automobile horn.

  15. Aeronautics. any of certain short, armlike levers on the control surfaces of an airplane.
  16. Radio.
    1. a tube of varying cross section used in some loudspeakers to couple the diaphragm to the sound-transmitting space.
    2. Slang. a loudspeaker.
  17. Slang. a telephone or radiotelephone:

    I've been on the horn all morning.

  18. the high protuberant part at the front and top of certain saddles; a pommel, especially a high one.
  19. Carpentry. (in a door or window frame) that part of a jamb extending above the head.
  20. one of the curved extremities of a crescent, especially of the crescent moon.
  21. a crescent-shaped tract of land.
  22. a pyramidal mountain peak, especially one having concave faces carved by glaciation.
  23. a symbol of power or strength, as in the Bible:

    a horn of salvation.

  24. each of the alternatives of a dilemma.
  25. the narrow, more pointed part of an anvil.
  26. Metalworking. a projection at the side of the end of a rolled sheet or strip, caused by unevenness of the roll due to wear.
  27. Horology. (in a lever escapement) either of the two prongs at the end of the lever fork guarding against overbanking when the guard pin is in the crescent.


verb (used with object)

  1. to cuckold.
  2. to butt or gore with the horns.
  3. Shipbuilding. to set up (a frame or bulkhead of a vessel being built) at a proper angle to the keel with due regard to the inclination of the keel on the ways; plumb.

adjective

  1. made of horn.

horn

1

/ hɔːn /

noun

  1. either of a pair of permanent outgrowths on the heads of cattle, antelopes, sheep, etc, consisting of a central bony core covered with layers of keratin corneouskeratoid
  2. the outgrowth from the nasal bone of a rhinoceros, consisting of a mass of fused hairs
  3. any hornlike projection or process, such as the eyestalk of a snail
  4. the antler of a deer
    1. the constituent substance, mainly keratin, of horns, hooves, etc
    2. ( in combination )

      horn-rimmed spectacles

  5. a container or device made from this substance or an artificial substitute

    a drinking horn

    a shoe horn

  6. an object or part resembling a horn in shape, such as the points at either end of a crescent, the point of an anvil, the pommel of a saddle, or a cornucopia
  7. a primitive musical wind instrument made from the horn of an animal
  8. any musical instrument consisting of a pipe or tube of brass fitted with a mouthpiece, with or without valves See hunting horn French horn cor anglais
  9. slang.
    jazz any wind instrument
    1. a device for producing a warning or signalling noise
    2. ( in combination )

      a foghorn

  10. usually plural the hornlike projection attributed to certain devils, deities, etc
  11. usually plural the imaginary hornlike parts formerly supposed to appear on the forehead of a cuckold
  12. Also calledhorn balance an extension of an aircraft control surface that projects in front of the hinge providing aerodynamic assistance in moving the control
    1. Also calledacoustic hornexponential horn a hollow conical device coupled to the diaphragm of a gramophone to control the direction and quality of the sound
    2. any such device used to spread or focus sound, such as the device attached to an electrical loudspeaker in a public address system
    3. Also calledhorn antenna a microwave aerial, formed by flaring out the end of a waveguide
  13. geology another name for pyramidal peak
  14. a stretch of land or water shaped like a horn
  15. slang.
    an erection of the penis
  16. Bible a symbol of power, victory, or success

    in my name shall his horn be exalted

  17. blow one's horn
    blow one's horn to boast about oneself; brag Brit equivalentblow one's own trumpet
  18. draw in one's horns
    draw in one's hornspull in one's horns
    1. to suppress or control one's feelings, esp of anger, enthusiasm, or passion
    2. to withdraw a previous statement
    3. to economize
  19. on the horns of a dilemma
    on the horns of a dilemma
    1. in a situation involving a choice between two equally unpalatable alternatives
    2. in an awkward situation


verb

  1. to provide with a horn or horns
  2. to gore or butt with a horn

Horn

2

/ hɔːn /

noun

  1. Cape
    Cape See Cape Horn

horn

/ hôrn /

  1. Either of the bony growths projecting from the upper part of the head of certain hoofed mammals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats. The horns of these animals are never shed, and they consist of bone covered by keratin.
  2. A hard growth that looks like a horn, such as an antler or a growth on the head of a giraffe or rhinoceros. Unlike true horns, antlers are shed yearly and have a velvety covering, and the horns of a rhinoceros are made not of bone but of hairy skin fused with keratin.
  3. The hard durable substance that forms the outer covering of true horns. It consists of keratin.


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Derived Forms

  • ˈhornˌlike, adjective
  • ˈhornless, adjective

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Other Words From

  • hornish adjective
  • hornless adjective
  • hornless·ness noun
  • hornlike adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of horn1

First recorded before 900; Middle English horn(e) (noun), Old English horn; cognate with Dutch horen, Old Norse, Danish, Swedish horn, German Horn, Gothic haurn, Latin cornu “horn,” Irish, Welsh corn; akin to Greek kéras “horn” ( cerat- ); cornu

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Word History and Origins

Origin of horn1

Old English; related to Old Norse horn, Gothic haurn, Latin cornu horn

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. blow / toot one's own horn, Informal. to publicize or boast about one's abilities or achievements:

    He's a bright fellow, but likes to blow his own horn too much.

  2. draw / pull in one's horns, to restrain oneself or become less belligerent; retreat:

    Since he lost so much gambling, he's drawn in his horns a bit.

  3. horn in, Informal. to thrust oneself forward obtrusively; intrude or interrupt:

    Every time we try to have a private conversation, the boss horns in.

  4. lock horns, to conflict, quarrel, or disagree:

    The administration and the staff locked horns over the proposed measures.

  5. on the horns of a dilemma, confronted with two equally disagreeable choices.

More idioms and phrases containing horn

  • blow one's own horn
  • lock horns
  • pull in one's horns
  • take the bull by the horns

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Example Sentences

Another car behind it in line was behaving “obnoxiously,” honking its horn and blasting music, he said.

Carolina Garcia, 35, director of original series at NetflixMy parents always say, “Toma el toro por las astas,” which means, “Grab the bull by the horns.”

From Fortune

He took pictures of the lizard and measured the size and shape of its body parts, such as the length of its nose-horn and head.

To transform a horse into a unicorn, you could try adding a horn from a related animal, Paul Knoepfler says.

Researchers have found certain genes that are turned off or on when animals are growing their horns.

So I asked the driver to honk the horn, which he does, and Rod looks over.

Reportedly, George Custer wore a Stetson into Little Big Horn.

A car parked at a red light honked its horn in rhythm with the chant as the crowd passed in front of it.

He told the court he called the retired captain to see exactly where he lived so he knew when to sound the cruise ship horn.

Available at Jonathan Adler Whisky Tumbler Set—Light Horn, $65  This is drinking at its most fashionable.

Before the outlaw can comply with this small request the horn sounds again.

Also our six-shooters reposed in their scabbards, the four belts hooked over the horn of MacRae's saddle.

There's one called ze, on top of a hill shaped almost like a horn; she showed me a picture of it.

The second barrel was discharged with no better result, except that a splinter of its horn was knocked off.

A huge string game-bag was slung over his back, and in an antelope's horn or a crane's bill bullets were carried.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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