warhorse

noun

war·​horse ˈwȯr-ˌhȯrs 

1

: a horse used in war : charger

2

: a person with long experience in a field

especially : a veteran soldier or public person (such as a politician)

3

: something (such as a work of art or musical composition) that has become overly familiar or hackneyed due to much repetition in the standard repertoire

Synonyms

• doyen
• old hand
• old-timer
• stager
• vet
• veteran

Examples of warhorse in a Sentence

the Democratic warhorse in the Senate

a general who describes himself as an old warhorse

a new production of an old warhorse

Recent Examples on the Web

The composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, that warhorse of English traditionalism, is mentioned six times, and his plangent music—invoking a lost, idyllic England; a greener, more pleasant land—could easily be the novel’s soundtrack. —Charles McGrath, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024

At 33, Watt is young enough not to be tired of even the most familiar rock radio warhorses. —Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2024

All those slick remakes of beloved old properties, all those paint-by-numbers genre warhorses with beloved movie stars in the lead. —Constance Grady, Vox, 16 Sep. 2024

Every street in Hollywood has its own history and its own horror story, and while that’s not exactly an original sentiment, West & Goth know how to make that warhorse lament shriek as well as sing. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

war-horse

noun

ˈwȯ(ə)r-ˌhȯ(ə)rs

1

: a horse used in war : charger

2

: a veteran soldier or politician