hoof

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Related to hoof: Hoof and mouth disease

hoof

horse hoof

hoof

(ho͝of, ho͞of)

n. pl. hooves (ho͝ovz, ho͞ovz) or hoofs

a. The horny sheath covering the toes or lower part of the foot of a mammal of the orders Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla, such as a horse, ox, or deer.

b. The foot of such an animal, especially a horse.

2. Slang The human foot.

v. hoofed, hoof·ing, hoofs

v.tr.

To trample with the hooves.

v.intr. Slang

1. To dance, especially as a professional.

2. To go on foot; walk.

Idioms:

hoof it Slang

1. To walk.

2. To dance.

on the hoof

Not yet butchered; alive. Used especially of cattle.

[Middle English hof, from Old English hōf.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

hoof

(huːf)

n, pl hooves (huːvz) or hoofs

1. (Zoology)

a. the horny covering of the end of the foot in the horse, deer, and all other ungulate mammals

b. (in combination): a hoofbeat. ungular

2. (Zoology) the foot of an ungulate mammal

3. (Zoology) a hoofed animal

4. facetious a person's foot

5. on the hoof

a. (of livestock) alive

b. in an impromptu manner: he did his thinking on the hoof.

6. (tr) to kick or trample with the hoofs

7. hoof it slang

a. to walk

b. to dance

[Old English hōf; related to Old Norse hōfr, Old High German huof (German Huf), Sanskrit saphás]

ˈhoofless adj

ˈhoofˌlike adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hoof

(hʊf, huf)

n., pl. hoofs hooves for 1,2,4; hoof for 3,5; n.

1. the horny covering protecting the ends of the digits or encasing the foot in certain animals, as the ox and horse.

2. the entire foot of a horse, donkey, etc.

3. Older Use. a hoofed animal, esp. one of a herd.

4. Informal. the human foot.

v.t.

5. Slang. to walk (often fol. by it): Let's hoof it.

v.i.

6. Slang. to dance, esp. to tap-dance.

Idioms:

on the hoof, (of livestock) not butchered; live.

[before 1000; Middle English hof, Old English hōf, c. Old Frisian, Old Saxon hōf, Old High German huof, Old Norse hōfr; compare Skt śaphás]

hoof

Past participle: hoofed
Gerund: hoofing

Imperative
hoof
hoof

Present
I hoof
you hoof
he/she/it hoofs
we hoof
you hoof
they hoof

Preterite
I hoofed
you hoofed
he/she/it hoofed
we hoofed
you hoofed
they hoofed

Present Continuous
I am hoofing
you are hoofing
he/she/it is hoofing
we are hoofing
you are hoofing
they are hoofing

Present Perfect
I have hoofed
you have hoofed
he/she/it has hoofed
we have hoofed
you have hoofed
they have hoofed

Past Continuous
I was hoofing
you were hoofing
he/she/it was hoofing
we were hoofing
you were hoofing
they were hoofing

Past Perfect
I had hoofed
you had hoofed
he/she/it had hoofed
we had hoofed
you had hoofed
they had hoofed

Future
I will hoof
you will hoof
he/she/it will hoof
we will hoof
you will hoof
they will hoof

Future Perfect
I will have hoofed
you will have hoofed
he/she/it will have hoofed
we will have hoofed
you will have hoofed
they will have hoofed

Future Continuous
I will be hoofing
you will be hoofing
he/she/it will be hoofing
we will be hoofing
you will be hoofing
they will be hoofing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been hoofing
you have been hoofing
he/she/it has been hoofing
we have been hoofing
you have been hoofing
they have been hoofing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been hoofing
you will have been hoofing
he/she/it will have been hoofing
we will have been hoofing
you will have been hoofing
they will have been hoofing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been hoofing
you had been hoofing
he/she/it had been hoofing
we had been hoofing
you had been hoofing
they had been hoofing

Conditional
I would hoof
you would hoof
he/she/it would hoof
we would hoof
you would hoof
they would hoof

Past Conditional
I would have hoofed
you would have hoofed
he/she/it would have hoofed
we would have hoofed
you would have hoofed
they would have hoofed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	hoof - the foot of an ungulate mammal animal foot, foot - the pedal extremity of vertebrates other than human beings hoof - the horny covering of the end of the foot in ungulate mammals cloven foot, cloven hoof - a hoof divided into two parts at its distal extremity (as of ruminants or swine) horse's foot - the hoof of a horse hoofed mammal, ungulate - any of a number of mammals with hooves that are superficially similar but not necessarily closely related taxonomically toe - forepart of a hoof
	2.	hoof - the horny covering of the end of the foot in ungulate mammals hoof - the foot of an ungulate mammal horny structure, unguis - any rigid body structure composed primarily of keratin
Verb	1.	hoof - walk; "let's hoof it to the disco" hoof it, leg it, foot colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech walk - use one's feet to advance; advance by steps; "Walk, don't run!"; "We walked instead of driving"; "She walks with a slight limp"; "The patient cannot walk yet"; "Walk over to the cabinet"
	2.	hoof - dance in a professional capacity dance - an artistic form of nonverbal communication jargon, lingo, patois, argot, vernacular, slang, cant - a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves); "they don't speak our lingo" trip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toe, dance - move in a pattern; usually to musical accompaniment; do or perform a dance; "My husband and I like to dance at home to the radio"

hoof

noun foot, trotter, cloot The horses' hooves could not get a proper grip.

Related words
technical name ungula
adjective ungular

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

hoof

verb

1. Slang. To move rhythmically to music, using patterns of steps or gestures:

dance, foot, step.

Idioms: cut a rug, foot it, trip the light fantastic.

2. Slang. To go on foot:

ambulate, foot, pace, step, tread, walk.

Idiom: foot it.

Translations

حافِر

kopyto

hov

hufo

kaviosorkka

kopito

pata

hófur; klauf

zoccolo

蹄

kanopa

nags

kopyto

kopito

toynak

蹄

hoof

[huːf]

A. N (hoofs or hooves (pl))

1. [of horse] → casco m; [of other animals] → pezuña f
cloven hoof → pata f hendida
cattle on the hoof → ganado m en pie
hoof and mouth disease (US) → fiebre f aftosa, glosopeda f

2. [of person] (= foot) → pezuña f, pata f

B. VT to hoof it (= walk) → ir a pata; (= depart) → liar el petate

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

hoof

[ˈhuːf] [hoofs] (pl) [hooves] [ˈhuːvz] (pl) n → sabot m (d'un animal)

hoof

n pl <-s or hooves> → Huf m; hooves (hum inf: = feet) → Quadratlatschen pl (inf); cattle on the hoof → Vieh nt; to eat on the hoof (inf) → unterwegs essen; they tend to make policy on the hoof (inf) → sie legen ihre Politik oft aus dem Stegreif fest

vt to hoof it (inf: = go on foot) → latschen (inf); (= dance on stage) → tingeln (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

hoof

[huːf] n (hoofs or hooves (pl)) → zoccolo

hoof

(huːf) , ((American) huf) – plurals hooves (huːvz (American) huvz) , hoofs – noun

the horny part of the feet of horses, cows etc. That horse has an injured hoof.

References in classic literature ?

While he and I were thus employed, another horse came up; who applying himself to the first in a very formal manner, they gently struck each other's right hoof before, neighing several times by turns, and varying the sound, which seemed to be almost articulate.

View in context

The blacksmith took my feet in his hand, one after the other, and cut away some of the hoof. It did not pain me, so I stood still on three legs till he had done them all.

View in context

There's one, anyhow," replied the donkey, sitting upright on its haunches and waving a hoof toward Button-Bright.

View in context

Now these are the Laws of the Jungle, and many and mighty are they; But the head and the hoof of the Law and the haunch and the hump is--Obey!

View in context

The goat looked at it with an intelligent eye, raised its gilded hoof, and struck seven blows.

View in context

The lieutenant explained how to rivet the hoof and went away to his own quarters.

View in context

A hoof missed my brother's foot by a hair's breadth.

View in context

That time is needed to cool the meadow, for these unshod Teton beasts are as tender on the hoof as a barefooted girl."

View in context

"I'd rather, ten thousand times," said the woman, "live in the dirtiest hole at the quarters, than be under your hoof!"

View in context

"I'm glad of that," said Jim; "for I, also, have a conscience, and it tells me not to crush in your skull with a blow of my powerful hoof."

View in context

Gladiator and Diana came up to it together and almost at the same instant; simultaneously they rose above the stream and flew across to the other side; Frou-Frou darted after them, as if flying; but at the very moment when Vronsky felt himself in the air, he suddenly saw almost under his mare's hoofs Kuzovlev, who was floundering with Diana on the further side of the stream.

View in context

It was as big as a mountain, with horns on its head, and a long tail, and it had hoofs divided in two."