horseman
gb/hˈɔɹsmən/ us/hˈɔɹsmən/
B1
English
~ 8900
lovas, lovaskatona, az apokalipszis lovasa
NOUN
B1
1
lovas
A2
Usage pattern:
a [adjective] horseman
She proved herself a capable horseman during the three‑day trek across the mountains.
A hegyeken át vezető háromnapos túra során rátermett lovasnak bizonyult.
As a young man he was a fearless horseman, spending every weekend at the stables.
Fiatalemberként vakmerő lovas volt, és minden hétvégét az istállóknál töltött.
The film opens with a lone horseman racing across the desert at sunrise.
He may be old, but he is still the best horseman in the village.
The instructor is an accomplished horseman with years of competition experience.
Learner examples
My uncle is a very good horseman.
A nagybátyám nagyon jó lovas.
The horseman rode quickly across the field.
A lovas gyorsan átvágtatott a mezőn.
She wants to become a strong horseman one day.
A horseman must learn to control the horse.
The horseman sat tall in the saddle.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think “horseman” must always refer to a male. In modern usage it often suggests a man, but it can also be used about a woman, especially when talking about skill. Learners may also confuse “horseman” with “jockey”, which specifically means a professional rider in horse races.
Meaning
a skilled rider of horses
Collocations
skilled horseman
|experienced horseman
|fine horseman
|accomplished horseman
|natural horseman
|cowboy and horseman
Synonyms
rider (More general; can refer to someone riding a bike, motorcycle, or animal, not only horses.)
|
equestrian (More formal and technical; often used in sports or official contexts and is gender‑neutral.)
|
horse rider (More explicit and easy to understand but less compact and less idiomatic than “horseman”.)
Antonyms
non-rider (Describes someone who does not ride horses at all, the opposite of a horseman in this sense.)
Themes
sports
|animals
|work
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A person who can ride a horse very well.
A person, especially a man, who rides horses well, often for sport, work, or pleasure.
NOUN
B2
2
lovaskatona
B1
lovas
A2
A lone horseman broke away from the cavalry and rode toward the castle gates.
Egy magányos lovas kivált a lovasságból, és a várkapu felé vágtatott.
The enemy horseman raised his sword and charged across the field.
Az ellenséges lovaskatona felemelte a kardját, és rohamra indult a mezőn át.
In the painting, each armored horseman carries a brightly colored banner.
The scouts reported a group of horsemen approaching from the east.
Dust rose behind the horsemen as they galloped toward the battlefield.
Learner examples
The king sent a fast horseman with a message.
A király egy gyors lovast küldött az üzenettel.
Many horsemen waited outside the city walls.
Sok lovaskatona várakozott a városfalakon kívül.
A horseman rode ahead to look for danger.
Old stories talk about brave horsemen in battle.
The horseman wore heavy armor and carried a sword.
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this sense is mainly historical and military. In modern armies, soldiers on horses are rare, and terms like “cavalry” or “mounted police officer” are more common than “horseman”.
Meaning
soldier or fighter on horseback
Collocations
enemy horseman
|armored horseman
|cavalry horseman
|lone horseman
|mounted horseman
|horseman of the royal guard
Synonyms
cavalryman (Standard military term; directly refers to a member of the cavalry.)
|
mounted soldier (Descriptive phrase that makes the military role clear but is less idiomatic.)
Antonyms
infantryman (A soldier who fights on foot, contrasting with a horseman who fights on horseback.)
Themes
military
|history
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A soldier who rides a horse in battle.
A mounted soldier or fighter on horseback, especially in historical or military contexts.
NOUN
C1
LITERARY
3
Usage pattern:
the horseman of [war/famine/death]
In medieval art, each horseman carries an object that shows whether he represents war, famine, pestilence, or death.
A középkori művészetben az apokalipszis minden lovasa olyan tárgyat tart, amelyből kiderül, hogy a háborút, az éhínséget, a járványt vagy a halált jelképezi.
The novelist describes climate change as a new horseman riding toward a vulnerable world.
A regényíró a klímaváltozást az apokalipszis új, egy kiszolgáltatott világ felé vágtató lovasaként ábrázolja.
The sermon compared modern global threats to the horseman of war and the horseman of plague.
Scholars still debate the meaning of the first horseman in Revelation.
The painting shows a pale horseman sweeping across a dark, ruined city.
Learner examples
Many people know the story of the four horsemen from the Bible.
Sokan ismerik a Bibliából az apokalipszis négy lovasának történetét.
In the movie, a dark horseman brings death to the land.
A filmben egy sötét lovas halált hoz az országra.
Writers sometimes call a new danger a horseman of the Apocalypse.
The horseman in the story is not a real man but a sign of war.
In the picture, the horseman rides over a burning city.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with an ordinary horse rider. When you see “horseman” together with words like “Apocalypse”, “Revelation”, “war, famine, plague, death”, it usually refers to this apocalyptic, symbolic figure, not to a normal person riding a horse.
Meaning
biblical rider symbolizing catastrophe
Collocations
the first horseman
|the horseman of war
|apocalyptic horseman
|the horseman of death
|the horseman of famine
|the four horsemen
Synonyms
apocalyptic rider (Less fixed and less famous than “horseman”, but describes the same type of symbolic figure.)
|
personification of disaster (More abstract and formal; emphasizes the symbolic role rather than the image of a rider.)
Antonyms
savior (Represents rescue and salvation, the opposite of a destructive apocalyptic figure.)
Themes
religion
|mythology
|literature
|arts_entertainment
Definition
In the Bible and in stories, a special rider on a horse who stands for a great disaster like war, disease, or death.
In Christian and literary tradition, one of the riders described in the Book of Revelation who appears on a horse and represents a great disaster such as war, famine, or death; often used more broadly for a powerful sign of coming catastrophe.
Grammar
Dictionary form
horseman
IPA
GB/hˈɔɹsmən/
US/hˈɔɹsmən/
Syllables & stress
horse - man (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (horse)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: horseman
- Plural: horsemen
Word family
Expressions
horseman of the Apocalypse
1/hˈɔɹsmən əv ðə əpˈɑkəlˌɪps/
idiom
literary
single rider symbolizing a disaster
One of the famous riders on horses from the Bible who stands for a great disaster such as war, hunger, disease, or death; also used for a single great threat or problem.
Examples
- Some writers now call uncontrolled climate change a new horseman of the Apocalypse.
- The sculpture shows a horseman of the Apocalypse riding through a city of ruined buildings.
- In the article, the author described antibiotic resistance as a modern horseman of the Apocalypse.
the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
1/ðə fˈɔɹ hˈɔɹsmən əv ðə əpˈɑkəlˌɪps/
idiom
literary
four riders symbolizing disasters
Four symbolic riders on horses from the Bible that stand for terrible things like war, hunger, disease, and death; often used to talk about four great dangers or problems in the world.
Examples
- Commentators sometimes describe climate change, pandemics, nuclear war, and AI risk as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
- The painting shows the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse racing across a dark and broken landscape.
- In his speech, he listed the four horsemen of the Apocalypse that threaten modern society: war, famine, disease, and environmental collapse.