What does "hackney" mean?
An ordinary horse.
Hackney
/ˈhækni/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An ordinary horse.
- Grammar: hackney is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: back number, banal, belabor, bewhiskered.
- Useful contrasts: buy, own, private carriage.
- Usage evidence: "Mamma would die if she knew. The boy," replied Georgiana, "walked with us to Oxford Street, and we took a hackney-coach. Will Mrs. Gooch ever forgive us for getting out of it at her door?"
How to use "hackney"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hackney" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hackney" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hackney" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hackney" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hackney" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "back number" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hackney", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An ordinary horse. archaic, countable, uncountable
- 2 a compact breed of harness horse wordnet
- 3 A carriage for hire or a cab. countable, uncountable
""Mamma would die if she knew. The boy," replied Georgiana, "walked with us to Oxford Street, and we took a hackney-coach. Will Mrs. Gooch ever forgive us for getting out of it at her door?""
- 4 a carriage for hire wordnet
- 5 A horse used to ride or drive. countable, uncountable
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A breed of English horse. countable, uncountable
- 7 A hired drudge; a hireling; a prostitute. archaic, countable, uncountable
- 8 Inferior writing; literary hackwork. archaic, uncountable
"Not that the existence of Grub street is to be doubted: it was, indeed, a grim actuality, and many a garreter realised by experience How unhappy's the fate To live by one's pate And to be forced to write hackney for bread."
Verb
- 1 To make uninteresting or trite by frequent use. transitive
- 2 To use as a hackney. transitive
- 3 To carry in a hackney coach. transitive
"[…] To her, who, frugal only that her thrift / May feed excesses she can ill afford, / Is hackneyed home unlackeyed; […]"
Adjective
- 1 Offered for hire. not-comparable
"hackney coaches"
- 2 Much used; trite; mean. figuratively, not-comparable
"hackney authors"
Proper Noun
- 1 A London borough in Greater London, England, where once upon a time many horses were pastured.
- 2 A town in eastern London, England, within this borough (OS grid ref TQ3584).
- 3 An English habitational surname from Old English.
- 4 One of several breeds of compact English horses: see hackney
- 5 (means of transportation): see hackney. in-compounds
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
""Mamma would die if she knew. The boy," replied Georgiana, "walked with us to Oxford Street, and we took a hackney-coach. Will Mrs. Gooch ever forgive us for getting out of it at her door?""
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hackney"?
Common synonyms include: back number, banal, belabor, bewhiskered, bidet, cab.
How do you use "hackney" in a sentence?
"Mamma would die if she knew. The boy," replied Georgiana, "walked with us to Oxford Street, and we took a hackney-coach. Will Mrs. Gooch ever forgive us for getting out of it at her door?"
How do you pronounce "hackney"?
Pronounced /ˈhækni/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The senses "a horse" and "(a means of transport) available for hire" derive from the fact that many horses were kept for hire in the London borough of Hackney. The place name is from Old English *Hacan īeġ "Hacan's Isle" (or "Hook's Island"), referring to dry land in a marsh.
Etymology 2
From Middle English hakeney, from the placename Hackney (formerly a town; now a borough of London), used for grazing horses before sale, from Old English *Hacan īeġ (“Haca's Island”, literally “Hook's Island”). The Old French haquenée (“ambling mare for ladies”), Latinized in England to hakeneius, is originally from the English.