# hoof

/ˈhuf/ (US) · /hˈuːf/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hoof
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. animal foot

noun · CEFR B2

the hard, tough covering on the feet of animals like horses, cows, or deer.

For teachers: the horny part of the foot of an ungulate animal, consisting of a thick keratinous plate.

- The horse's hooves made a loud clicking sound on the stone road.
- The farrier carefully trimmed the horse's hoof to ensure the animal maintained a balanced gait on uneven terrain.

### 2. human foot

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Humorous · Slang

a funny or slightly rude way to talk about a person's foot.

For teachers: a derogatory or humorous slang term for the human foot.

- Get your hooves off my new coffee table.
- After a long day of hiking in tight boots, he couldn't wait to rest his aching hooves by the fire.

### 3. to walk

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to walk somewhere, especially if it is a long distance.

For teachers: to travel on foot; to walk a significant distance.

- Our car broke down, so we had to hoof it all the way home.
- With the last bus already gone, the group was forced to hoof it across the city in the pouring rain.

Usage: Often used in the phrase 'hoof it'.

### 4. to kick a ball

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal · British English

to kick a ball very hard and far without much aim.

For teachers: to kick a ball, particularly in football, with great force and little precision.

- The defender just hoofed the ball down the field to clear the danger.
- Under intense pressure from the strikers, the goalkeeper opted to hoof the ball toward the halfway line rather than risk a short pass.

### 5. to dance

verb · CEFR C2 · Informal · American English

to dance, especially if you do it as a job.

For teachers: to perform a dance, particularly in a professional or theatrical context.

- She spent years hoofing in small theaters before making it to Broadway.
- The veteran performer had been hoofing on the vaudeville circuit for decades before finally retiring from the stage.

## Examples

- The horse needs its hoof cleaned after the long ride.
- The rhythmic sound of a single hoof striking the pavement echoed through the quiet village street.
- Evolutionary biologists study the transition from multi-toed ancestors to the single hoof of the modern horse as an adaptation for high-speed travel across hard, open plains.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.