stalking horse

noun

stalk·​ing horse ˈstȯ-kiŋ- How to pronounce stalking horse (audio)
1
: a horse or a figure like a horse behind which a hunter stalks game
2
: something used to mask a purpose
3
: a candidate put forward to divide the opposition or to conceal someone's real candidacy

Examples of stalking 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.
Vintage Wine Estates has received several stalking horse offers in its bankruptcy auction. Kimberly Chin, Axios, 16 Sep. 2024 Horowitz sold him some forty archives and collections, for about $25 million, and routinely used him as a sounding board and a stalking horse. Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024 Driving the news: Discount retail chain Big Lots entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, with a stalking horse agreement to boot. Kimberly Chin, Axios, 16 Sep. 2024 Lids' opening bid, known as the stalking horse bid, is 62% of the cost value of the retailer's inventory on hand at the time of the sale's closure date, estimated to equal about $4.25 million. Jc Reindl, Detroit Free Press, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stalking horse 

Word History

First Known Use

1519, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stalking horse was in 1519

Dictionary Entries Near stalking horse

Cite this Entry

“Stalking horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalking%20horse. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on stalking 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!