foal

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A young horse, donkey or related animal, especially in its first year of life.

   Grammar: Used for either a male or female young horse, unlike colt and filly.

   Patterns

   • a foal and its mother
   • a newborn foal

   The foal stood up on shaky legs within an hour of its birth.

   A mare and her foal grazed together in the paddock.

   Our neighbor is hoping to sell her foal in the spring.

2. 2verbintransitivespecialist

   To give birth to a baby horse or donkey.

   Grammar: No object; used of the mare: the mare foaled.

   Patterns

   • a mare foals
   • foal in spring

   The mare is expected to foal in April.

   She foaled safely during the night.

   Vets watch pregnant mares closely before they foal.

Word forms

Common combinations

newborn foal

The newborn foal was already trying to run.

mare and foal

Visitors can watch the mare and foal in the field.

in foal

The mare is in foal and due next month.

weaned foal

A weaned foal stays in the paddock with other young horses.

orphan foal

The farm raised an orphan foal by hand.

Synonyms and how they differ

colt

Colt is a young male horse, so it is more specific than foal, which can be either sex.

filly

Filly is a young female horse, so it is narrower than foal.

young horse

Young horse is a plain phrase that can include animals older than a foal, such as yearlings.

Word family

foaling noun

the birth of a young horse

colt noun

a young male horse

filly noun

a young female horse

yearling noun

a horse that is one year old

Commonly confused: foal or fowl?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “foal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words