Definition

1. Noun:

   • The hard, horny part covering the toes or the end of the foot in certain mammals: A hoof is the hard, protective casing on the feet of animals such as horses, cows, deer, and pigs.
   • (Informal, humorous) A human foot: Used informally and humorously to refer to a person's foot.

2. Verb:

   • To walk, especially on foot: To go somewhere by walking.
   • To dance, especially in a professional or energetic way: To dance.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The horse's hoof needed to be cleaned and trimmed by the farrier.
  • After the long hike, my hooves are killing me! (informal/humorous)

• Verb:

  • We missed the bus, so we'll have to hoof it to the station.
  • She can really hoof across the dance floor.

Advanced Usage

• On the hoof: Refers to livestock that is still alive and not yet butchered.

  • The farmer sold the cattle on the hoof at the market.

• To show the cloven hoof: To reveal one's evil or devilish nature (from the traditional depiction of the devil having cloven hooves).

  • His cruel remarks finally showed the cloven hoof.

Variants and Related Words

• Hooves: The usual plural form of the noun 'hoof'.

  • The deer left deep tracks with its hooves in the mud.

• Hoofed (adj): Having hooves.

  • Ungulates are hoofed mammals.

• Hoofbeat (n): The sound made by an animal's hoof hitting the ground.

  • The hoofbeats of the approaching cavalry grew louder.

Synonyms

• Noun (for animal foot): Unguis (technical), foot.
• Verb (to walk): Trek, tramp, foot it.
• Verb (to dance): Boogie, cut a rug (slang).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Hoof it: To go on foot; to walk.
  • The car broke down, so we had to hoof it back to town.

Related Idioms

• To pad the hoof / To beat the hoof (archaic slang): To travel on foot; to walk.

  • In the old days, many travelers had to pad the hoof from town to town.

• Under someone's hoof: To be under someone's oppressive control or tyranny.

  • The people suffered for years under the dictator's hoof.

Noun

1. the horny covering of the end of the foot in ungulate mammals
2. the foot of an ungulate mammal

Verb

1. dance in a professional capacity
2. walk
   • let's hoof it to the disco