Horse about Meaning in English

expression

US

ˈhɔɹs/ /əˈbaʊt

HORS uh-BOWT

UK

hˈɔːs/ /ɐbˈaʊt

HAWS uh-BOWT

Definition

To play roughly, act silly, or behave in a lively and noisy way, often with friends.

Usage & Nuances

Informal and often British English. Used about children or adults acting playfully and rough, sometimes causing annoyance. Common with 'kids' or 'boys'. Not about actual horses.

• Spanish: jugar bruscamente - hacer el payaso
• Portuguese (BR): brincar - bagunçar
• Portuguese (PT): pular e brincar - fazer palhaçadas
• Chinese (Simplified): 胡闹 - 打闹
• Chinese (Traditional): 胡鬧 - 打鬧
• Hindi: शरारत करना - मस्ती करना
• Arabic: يعبث - يمزح بقوة
• Bengali: দুষ্টুমি করা - মজা করা
• Russian: дурачиться - баловаться
• Japanese: ふざけ回る - ふざける
• Vietnamese: đùa nghịch - nghịch ngợm
• Korean: 장난치다 - 장난스럽게 놀다
• Turkish: şakalaşmak - oyalanmak (aşırı hareketli)
• Urdu: مذاق کرنا - افرا تفری کرنا
• Indonesian: bercanda secara kasar - bermain-main

Example Sentences

The boys love to horse about in the backyard after school.

basic

Please don’t horse about in the house.

basic

They started to horse about during the break.

basic

The kids were horsing about so much they knocked over a lamp.

natural

We used to horse about in the park until it got dark.

natural

Stop horsing about and help me set the table, please!

natural