Meaning & use
wild horses
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiom
Used in the idiom 'wild horses couldn't drag someone away', meaning nothing could force someone to leave.
Grammar: Fixed expression: 'wild horses couldn't drag me away' or 'wild horses wouldn't drag me there'.
Patterns
- wild horses couldn't drag someone away
- wild horses wouldn't drag someone somewhere
I love this place; wild horses couldn't drag me away.
She hates parties—wild horses wouldn't drag her to one.
Once he starts reading, wild horses couldn't drag him away from his book.
nounplural
Horses that live freely in the wild, not kept or trained by people.
Grammar: Plural noun; the singular is 'wild horse'.
Patterns
- a herd of wild horses
- wild horses roam
Wild horses roamed the grassy plains.
We saw a herd of wild horses near the river.
The park is home to many wild horses.
Word forms
| singular | wild horse |
|---|
Common combinations
- wild horses couldn't drag me away
- This view is so beautiful, wild horses couldn't drag me away.
- a herd of wild horses
- A herd of wild horses galloped across the field.
- wild horses roam
- Wild horses roam freely in this region.
Synonyms and how they differ
- feral horses
- Feral horses are domesticated horses that have returned to the wild; wild horses are truly wild species.
Commonly confused: wild horses or wild horse?
wild horses vs wild horse
The singular 'wild horse' refers to one animal; 'wild horses' is the plural or part of the idiom.
Practice
I'm not leaving this party early—______ couldn't drag me away.
Choose one answer.
The fixed idiom uses the plural 'wild horses' in 'wild horses couldn't drag me away'. 'Wild horse' is singular and does not fit the idiom; 'tame horses' and 'horse' are not part of the expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wild horses”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.