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
Noun
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
  • People should also be alert to visible natural signs of a tsunami, including a loud roar from the ocean and a sudden rise or fall of water levels.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 30 July 2025
  • Even holding serve to consolidate the break and go up 4-1 with a forehand crosscourt shot that Arango couldn’t handle led to roars.
    Lukas Weese, New York Times, 29 July 2025
Noun
  • The pulled lamb remains one of the best barbecue dishes in the city, the peppery ribs provide just enough tension before the meat falls from the bone, and the brisket’s onyx bark tastes of caramel.
    Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • Fine details like fur and bark can be clearly seen in both sunlight and shade.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 30 July 2025
Noun
  • Cicadas are back at it again in 2025, already emerging in droves to announce the approach of summer with their screeches.
    Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 30 May 2025
  • The screech of an infected is the first sign of trouble.
    EW.com, EW.com, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • For extended fun, save $25 on a Regalo extra-large portable play yard or set up an outdoor Disney Minnie Mouse swing for squeals of delight.
    Chaunie Brusie, Parents, 8 July 2025
  • Save for a few ear-piercing squeals, the day-old piglet happily took to bottle feeding and scurried around as several members of the Nashville Zoo veterinary team worked to weigh and examine him.
    Laura L. Davis, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, did the dolphin squeaks and whistles.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
  • The footage shows the beautiful black cat not with a typical meow, but with a series of gentle squeaks.
    Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025
Noun
  • Here’s something for Hallmark fans to cluck about: the channel has set the return date for The Chicken Sisters.
    Lynette Rice, Deadline, 26 June 2025
  • Geese on the ground cluck excitedly when other birds are circling above.
    Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 9 Sep. 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Neigh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neigh. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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