What does nickering mean?
Nickering means making a soft, low-pitched sound like that of a horse calling or expressing excitement. It is especially associated with a horse's repeated, gentle greeting, although the word can describe any comparable low vocalization made by an equine. A stable at feeding time might be full of nickering horses, while a single animal may nickering when it sees someone approach. The word is descriptive and somewhat affectionate in tone, presenting the animal's call as a communication rather than a startling roar. In general use, nickering can also evoke the rapid exchange of quiet sounds among horses. It is related in sound and meaning to neighing and whinnying, but nickering most strongly suggests a gentler, more sustained or repeated version of those calls. The form is the present participle of the verb nicker.
verbTo make a soft, low-pitched neighing sound, especially as a horse.
- To make a soft, low-pitched neighing sound, especially as a horse.
- To make a quiet, repetitive whistling or chuckling sound, especially as a horse.
"The horses stood quietly by the gate, occasionally nickering for attention."
"The stable was filled with the sound of horses nickering behind their closed doors."
"He heard the mare nickering softly as she approached the fence."
A horse's quiet hello can sound almost like a chuckle: that gentle, low repeated call is known as nickering.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does nickering come from?
Nickering is the present participle of nicker, a verb for making a low sound like a horse's neigh. The underlying word is imitative in origin, designed to suggest the characteristic calling of an equine rather than to describe a function or abstract action. Its development therefore connects the modern verb directly with the traditional representation of a horse's call in English.
Related word forms
How nickering is actually used
The word is most naturally used of horses and other equines. It is more specific than a general neigh, suggesting a relatively quiet or repeated vocalization.
Easily confused with nickering
Snickering usually means laughing in a quiet or suppressed way, whereas nickering more commonly describes a horse's low neighing sound.