What does neighing mean?
Neighing refers to the long, resonant call made by a horse and, as a verb, to the act of making that call. It is especially evocative in descriptions of stables, fields, roads, or other settings where horses are present: a mare may be neighing for her companions, while a stallion's proud neigh can signal alertness or excitement. The related noun is chiefly used for the sound itself, as in “the distant neighing of horses,” although the action of neighing can also be treated as a gerund. Although “whinnying” is sometimes used synonymously, the two words differ subtly in emphasis, with neighing suggesting a louder, fuller, more sustained call. Neighing is valuable to writers because it names both a recognizable animal sound and the expressive communication through which horses announce their presence, excitement, or unease.
To make the long, loud vocalization characteristic of a horse.
"The mare neighed sharply when she saw the approaching foal."
Neighing is the present participle of neigh and can function as a gerund in constructions such as “the sound of neighing.”
The sound made by a horse, or the act of making this sound.
"A chorus of neighing echoed across the valley."
The noun is usually uncountable and is common in descriptive or literary contexts.
The plural is possible but uncommon; the noun is normally used in the singular or as a mass noun.
"Distant neighings echoed among the horses."
The familiar call of a horse is so distinctive that English gives it a separate verb: to neigh.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of neighing
Neighing derives from neigh, which comes through Middle English from the Old English verb hnēgan, meaning “to neigh.” The Old English word was imitative, reflecting the distinctive sound made by a horse. The modern form developed alongside the Middle English neien, and the present-participle ending produced neighing.
Related word forms
How neighing is actually used
The word is standard in both British and American English but has a somewhat literary or descriptive quality. It is especially common in narrative writing, where the sound or behavior of horses is being vividly conveyed.
Easily confused with neighing
Both words describe a horse's vocalization, but a neigh is usually a fuller, louder, more prolonged call, whereas a whinny is often higher-pitched and shorter.