On a vehicle such as a car, the horn is the device that makes a loud noise as a signal or warning.
He sounded the car horn.
2. countable noun [usually plural]
The horns of an animal such as a cow or deer are the hard pointed things that grow from its head.
A mature cow has horns.
3. uncountable noun
Horn is the hard substance that the horns of animals are made of. Horn is sometimes used to make objects such as spoons, buttons, or ornaments.
4. See also horn-rimmed
5. countable noun
A horn is a musical instrument of the brass family. It is a long circular metal tube, wide at one end, which you play by blowing.
6. countable noun
A horn is a simple musical instrument consisting of a metal tube that is wide at one end and narrow at the other. You play it by blowing into it.
...a hunting horn.
7. countable noun
A horn is a hollow curved object that is narrow at one end and wide at the other.
...a wind-up gramophone with a big horn.
8. See also shoehorn
9.
See blow one's own horn
10.
See lock horns
11.
See on the horns of a dilemma
12.
See pull in one's horns/draw in one's horns
13. to take the bull by the horns
horn in British English
(hɔːn)
noun
1.
either of a pair of permanent outgrowths on the heads of cattle, antelopes, sheep, etc, consisting of a central bony core covered with layers of keratin
▶ Related adjectives: corneous, keratoid
2.
the outgrowth from the nasal bone of a rhinoceros, consisting of a mass of fused hairs
3.
any hornlike projection or process, such as the eyestalk of a snail
4.
the antler of a deer
5.
a.
the constituent substance, mainly keratin, of horns, hooves, etc
b.
(in combination)
horn-rimmed spectacles
6.
a container or device made from this substance or an artificial substitute
a shoe horn
a drinking horn
7.
an object or part resembling a horn in shape, such as the points at either end of a crescent, the point of an anvil, the pommel of a saddle, or a cornucopia
8.
a primitive musical wind instrument made from the horn of an animal
9.
any musical instrument consisting of a pipe or tube of brass fitted with a mouthpiece, with or without valves
hunting horn, French horn, cor anglais
10. jazz slang
any wind instrument
11.
a.
a device for producing a warning or signalling noise
b.
(in combination)
a foghorn
12. US, Canadian and Australian an informal name for telephone
13. (usually plural)
the hornlike projection attributed to certain devils, deities, etc
14. (usually plural)
the imaginary hornlike parts formerly supposed to appear on the forehead of a cuckold
15. Also called: horn balance
an extension of an aircraft control surface that projects in front of the hinge providing aerodynamic assistance in moving the control
16.
a. Also called: acoustic horn, exponential horn
a hollow conical device coupled to the diaphragm of a gramophone to control the direction and quality of the sound
b.
any such device used to spread or focus sound, such as the device attached to an electrical loudspeaker in a public address system
c. Also called: horn antenna
a microwave aerial, formed by flaring out the end of a waveguide
17. geology another name for pyramidal peak
18.
a stretch of land or water shaped like a horn
19. British vulgar, slang
an erection of the penis
20. Bible
a symbol of power, victory, or success
in my name shall his horn be exalted
21. blow one's horn
22. draw in one's horns
23. on the horns of a dilemma
verb(transitive)
24.
to provide with a horn or horns
25.
to gore or butt with a horn
Derived forms
hornless (ˈhornless)
adjective
hornlessness (ˈhornlessness)
noun
hornlike (ˈhornˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English; related to Old Norse horn, Gothic haurn, Latin cornu horn
Horn in British English
(hɔːn)
noun
Cape
Horn in American English
(hɔrn)
Capecape on an island (Horn Island) in Tierra del Fuego, Chile: southernmost point of South America
horn in American English
(hɔrn)
noun
1.
a.
a hard, hollow, bony or keratinous, permanent projection that grows on the head of various hoofed animals, esp. bovid ruminants
b.
an antler
2.
anything that protrudes naturally from the head of an animal, as one of the tentacles of a snail, a tuft of feathers on certain birds, etc.
3. [usually pl.]
the projections imagined as growing on the brow of a cuckold
4.
a.
the substance that horns are made of
b.
any similar, now often synthetic, substance
5.
a.
a container made by hollowing out a horn
a powder horn
b.
a drink contained in a horn
6.
cornucopia
7.
anything shaped like or suggesting a horn
; specif.,
a.
a peninsula or cape
b.
either end of a crescent
c.
the pointed part of an anvil
d. US
a projection above the pommel of a cowboy's saddle
8.
a.
an instrument made of horn and sounded by blowing, as the shofar
b.
any brass instrument; specif., French horn
c. US, Jazz
any wind instrument
9.
a device with a kind of blaring sound for signaling or warning
10. Bible
an emblem of glory, strength, or honor
11. Electronics
a.
a horn-shaped speaker
b.
a horn-shaped antenna
12. Geology
a jagged mountain peak resulting from the erosion of several cirques, as the Matterhorn in the Alps
verb transitive
13.
to strike, butt, or gore with the horns
14.
to furnish with horns
15. Archaic
to cuckold
adjective
16.
made of horn
horn-rimmed glasses
Idioms:
around the horn
blow one's own horn
horn in (on)
lock horns
on the horns of a dilemma
pull in one's horns
the horn
Derived forms
hornless (ˈhornless)
adjective
hornlike (ˈhornˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
ME < OE, akin to Ger < IE base *er-, upper part of the body, head > L cornu, Gr keras
horn in Automotive Engineering
(hɔrn)
Word forms: (regular plural) horns
noun
(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Bodywork, controls, and accessories)
On a vehicle such as a car, the horn is the device that makes a loud noise as a signal or warning.
COLLOCATIONS: sound the ~
He sounded the car horn.
Proper use of a car horn as a warning can avoid serious accidents.
It is an offense to sound a car horn between 11p.m. and 7a.m. or in a built-up area while stationary.
More idioms containing
horn
blow your own horn
Word lists with
horn
instrument
In other languages
horn
British English: horn /hɔːn/ NOUN
car On a vehicle such as a car, the horn is the device that makes a loud noise.
American English: horn
Arabic: بُوْق
Brazilian Portuguese: buzina
Chinese: 喇叭
Croatian: truba
Czech: klakson
Danish: horn
Dutch: hoorn
European Spanish: claxon
Finnish: sarvi
French: corne
German: Horn
Greek: κόρνα
Italian: corno
Japanese: 角 動物
Korean: 경적
Norwegian: horn
Polish: róg
European Portuguese: buzina
Romanian: claxon
Russian: гудок
Latin American Spanish: cuerno
Swedish: horn
Thai: แตร
Turkish: boynuz
Ukrainian: гудок
Vietnamese: kèn báo hiệu
British English: horn /hɔːn/ NOUN
animal A horn is one of the hard bones with sharp points that grow out of some animals' heads. Goats and bulls have horns.
American English: horn
Arabic: قَرْن
Brazilian Portuguese: chifre
Chinese: 角
Croatian: rogovlje
Czech: rohzvířete
Danish: horn
Dutch: hoorn
European Spanish: cuerno
Finnish: sarvi
French: cornevache
German: Horn
Greek: κέρατο
Italian: corno
Japanese: 角
Korean: 뿔
Norwegian: horn
Polish: róg
European Portuguese: chifre
Romanian: corn
Russian: рог
Latin American Spanish: cuerno
Swedish: horn
Thai: เขาสัตว์
Turkish: boynuz
Ukrainian: ріг
Vietnamese: sừng
British English: horn /hɔːn/ NOUN
musical instrument A horn is an instrument that you blow into to make music.
American English: horn
Arabic: صُوْر
Brazilian Portuguese: trompa
Chinese: 号
Croatian: rog
Czech: lesní roh
Danish: horn
Dutch: hoorn
European Spanish: cuerno
Finnish: torvi
French: corinstrument de musique
German: Horn
Greek: κόρνα
Italian: corno
Japanese: ホルン
Korean: 뿔피리
Norwegian: horn
Polish: waltornia
European Portuguese: trompa
Romanian: goarnă
Russian: горн
Latin American Spanish: cuerno
Swedish: horn
Thai: แตร
Turkish: nefesli çalgı
Ukrainian: горн
Vietnamese: tù và
All related terms of 'horn'
horn in
to interrupt or intrude
alto horn
a valved brass musical instrument belonging to the saxhorn or flügelhorn families
bass horn
an obsolete wind instrument of low range
Cape Horn
a rocky headland on an island at the extreme S tip of South America, belonging to Chile . It is notorious for gales and heavy seas; until the building of the Panama Canal it lay on the only sea route between the Atlantic and the Pacific
horn fly
a muscid fly ( Haematobia irritans ) that is a pest on cattle and sucks blood, esp. at the base of the horns
horn-mad
maddened enough to gore
post horn
a simple valveless natural horn consisting of a long tube of brass or copper , either straight or coiled ; formerly often used to announce the arrival of a mailcoach
the horn
the telephone
basset horn
an obsolete woodwind instrument of the clarinet family
Dorset Horn
a breed of horned sheep with dense fine-textured wool
French horn
A French horn is a musical instrument of the brass family. It is shaped like a long metal tube with one wide end , wound round in a circle . You play the French horn by blowing into it and moving valves in order to obtain different notes.
Golden Horn
an inlet of the Bosporus in NW Turkey , forming the harbour of Istanbul
horn-rimmed
Horn-rimmed glasses have plastic frames that look as though they are made of horn .
horn silver
→ cerargyrite
powder horn
a powder flask consisting of the hollow horn of an animal
rhino horn
the horn of a rhinoceros
stag's horn
the antlers of a stag used as a material for carved implements
acoustic horn
either of a pair of permanent outgrowths on the heads of cattle , antelopes , sheep , etc, consisting of a central bony core covered with layers of keratin
English horn
a double-reed woodwind instrument similar to the oboe but larger and a fifth lower in pitch
horn antenna
a microwave aerial, formed by flaring out the end of a waveguide
horn balance
an extension of an aircraft control surface that projects in front of the hinge providing aerodynamic assistance in moving the control
hunting horn
a long straight metal tube with a flared end and a cylindrical bore, used in giving signals in hunting
horn in (on)
to intrude or meddle (in)
rhinoceros horn
the horn of a rhinoceros
Wiltshire Horn
a breed of medium-sized sheep having horns in both male and female, originating from the Chalk Downs , England
exponential horn
a horn for the radiation of acoustic or high-frequency electromagnetic waves, of which the cross-sectional area increases exponentially with the length
Horn of Africa
a region of NE Africa, comprising Somalia and adjacent territories
horn of plenty
an edible basidiomycetous fungus , Craterellus cornucopioides, related to the chanterelle and like it funnel shaped but dark brown inside and dark grey outside: found in broad-leaved woodland
foghorn
A foghorn is a piece of equipment that makes a loud noise and is used to warn ships about the position of land and other ships in fog.
around the horn
( thrown ) from third base to second to first in trying for a double play
blow one's horn
to boast about oneself; brag
althorn
a valved brass musical instrument belonging to the saxhorn or flügelhorn families
horned pout
a North American catfish , Ameiurus (or Ictalurus ) nebulosus, with a sharp spine on the dorsal and pectoral fins and eight long barbels around the mouth : family Ameiuridae
blow your own horn
to boast about yourself. The British expression is blow your own trumpet .
buck's horn plantain
a Eurasian plant, Plantago coronopus , having leaves resembling a buck's horn : family Plantaginaceae
Little Bighorn
a river in the W central US, rising in N Wyoming and flowing north to the Bighorn River. Its banks were the scene of the defeat (1876) and killing of General Custer and his command by Native American warriors
blow one's own horn
If you blow your own horn , you boast about yourself.
horn-rimmed spectacles
spectacles with rims made of material resembling horn
staghorn coral
any stony coral (esp. Madrepore cervicornis ) having a structure that somewhat resembles the antlers of a stag
chloroargyrite
a greyish-yellow or colourless soft secondary mineral consisting of silver chloride in cubic crystalline form: a source of silver. Formula: AgCl
blow your own trumpet blow one's own horn
If you blow your own trumpet or blow your own horn , you tell people that you are very clever or successful .