workhorse

6 definitions • 10 examples

a person who does a lot of work, especially of a type that is necessary but not interesting:

a willing/reliable workhorse

She's a work horse - you have to be on top of things when you work with her.

a machine that operates without failing for long periods, although it might not be very interesting or exciting:

The steam engine was the workhorse of the Industrial Revolution.

In the convoy were heavy equipment transporters - 48-wheeled Army work horses designed to carry tanks.

a member of a sports team who always does a lot of hard work to help the team:

He is the squad's main workhorse.

She was the workhorse of the 2012 Games who won more medals than anyone on her team.

He is a work horse with a great approach to the game.

a large horse that is used for doing heavy work, such as pulling a cart (= a vehicle used for carrying goods) or a plough (= a large farming tool with blades that digs the soil in fields so that seeds can be planted):

The two horses were workhorses - they could pull a great deal of weight when they pulled logs out of the forest, but they were slow.

She grew up around work horses in the Midwest.

a machine, piece of equipment, or vehicle that you can trust to work well and that you can use to do a lot of work:

The company has begun to look at how its workhorse, the 737, may develop in the future.

someone who works very hard or who works very long hours