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hoof

Pronunciation: /huːf/
Translate hoof | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of hoof

noun (plural hoofs or hooves /-vz/)

  • the horny part of the foot of an ungulate animal, especially a horse:there was a clatter of hoofs as a rider came up to them

verb

[with object] informal
  • 1kick (a ball) powerfully: he hoofed the ball 70 metres
  • 2 (hoof it) go on foot: I paid the check and hoofed it over to Jane Street
  • dance:we hoof it reasonably fancily, and no one guffaws

Phrases

on the hoof

  • 1(of livestock) not yet slaughtered: livestock on the hoof
  • 2British informal without proper thought or preparation:policy was made on the hoof

Derivatives

hoofed

adjective

Origin:

Old English hōf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hoef and German Huf

Spelling help

The plural of hoof can be spelled either hoofs or hooves: both are correct.

hoof in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of hoof in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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