neigh 1 of 2

as in to whinny
to make the cry typical of a horse the horses neighed when the rider came into the barn

Synonyms & Similar Words

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neigh

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of neigh
Verb
Across from them in their usual stalls stood the eight neighing horses. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025 The band joked about adding a neighing horse to the intro, and Rimes quickly inserted that sound from his plug-in collection. Tom Roland, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2024 Laughing, always laughing—at the dickey birds hopping in the tree branches, at the urchin who was burned to a crisp by an angry mob, at the slandering neighbor woman who got turned into a neighing donkey. Okwiri Oduor, Harper's Magazine, 15 June 2022 No such juvenilia intrudes upon the rather more adult-ish proceedings of the new film The Wanting Mare, in which horses neigh and stamp at the margins of a bleak, majestic world. Jason Kehe, Wired, 12 Feb. 2021 Horse trailers lined up in rows in Island Grove Regional Park, their passengers neighing indiscriminately. John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 28 July 2019 Goats and sheep staying in the barn bleated, and horses neighed as the crowd of people grew. David Anderson, baltimoresun.com, 23 July 2019 There in the the headquarters of Togo’s secret police — the notorious Research and Intelligence Service — the captives were beaten, waterboarded and forced to kneel and neigh like horses. Siobhan O'Grady, latimes.com, 4 June 2018 Across the barn, another horse was getting new shoes and neighed. Jason Nark, Philly.com, 23 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for neigh
Verb
  • The downy woodpecker also whinnies like a miniature horse throughout the breeding season.
    Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
  • That doesn’t include food for the horses, who start whinnying.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
  • The soldiers muttered encouragement; their horses nickered.
    Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
  • The soldiers muttered encouragement; their horses nickered.
    Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • When Golden took the stage, there was a roar of cheers and fireworks exploded over the city.
    Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025
  • While the roar of the engines and smell of burning rubber are very familiar to fans of stock car racing, there’s a distinct allure about NHRA events.
    Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Spread it 2 to 3 inches deep and keep it an inch away from the bark of the stems.
    Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 12 Apr. 2025
  • The hostages had also written on bark leaves with charcoal and hidden the messages under stones and in trees in the hope that someone would find them.
    Lise Pedersen, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • His grandson toddled over, climbed into his lap, accepted a kiss with a screech of delight, and scooted off again.
    Ben Ehrenreich, Harpers Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
  • One-take monologues are sliced in half, plot twists pause mid-gasp, and a car chase sequence screeches to a halt.
    Viren Naidu, IndieWire, 24 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Frontman Bryan Garris let out a mighty pig squeal as guest vocalist Poppy thrashed and screamed across the stage, dressed like an even more macabre girl from The Ring.
    Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2025
  • Listen for a squeal and know that your prank was a success! 20.
    Kimberly Stoney, Parents, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • And studies have shown that mice carrying human FOXP2 genes also make strange squeaks.
    Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
  • Juliana is one of those people who express positive emotions with a high-pitched squeak.
    Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Chickens run and cluck around the Bennet home; the family’s clothes look worn, at times even dirty; the houses are cluttered, the people messy, their interactions chaotic.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025
  • On their 33 acres, the clucks and crows from their flock of 60 chickens and two turkeys is constant.
    Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 17 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Neigh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neigh. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

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