rawhide

1 of 2

noun

raw·​hide ˈrȯ-ˌhīd 

1

: a whip of untanned hide

2

: untanned cattle skin

rawhide

2 of 2

verb

rawhided; rawhiding

transitive verb

1

: to whip or drive with or as if with a rawhide

2

: chastise sense 1

Synonyms

Verb

• birch
• cowhide
• flagellate
• flail
• flog
• hide
• horsewhip
• lash
• leather
• scourge
• slash
• switch
• tan
• thrash
• whale
• whip

Examples of rawhide in a Sentence

Verb

the desperados rawhided their horses in a futile attempt to outride the posse pursuing them

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

However, during the FBI tests in 2022 at the agency’s lab in Quantico, Va., forensic analysts used a rawhide mallet to strike the gun so hard that components of the gun fractured. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2024

Real 19th-century cowpokes typically dressed in heavy canvas trousers, bowlers and wore rawhide chaps as armor against thorny vegetation and the general filth of the job. —Guy Trebay, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024

Verb

Treats that are hard or crunchy (such as bones or rawhide chews) Is cheese bad for dogs? —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 19 Oct. 2022

DreamBones, a healthy alternative to rawhide, is great for dogs who love to chew, and a bag of 24 treats is 52 percent off. —Carly Kulzer, PEOPLE.com, 7 May 2022

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1858, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

rawhide

1 of 2 noun

raw·​hide ˈrȯ-ˌhīd 

1

: a whip of untanned hide

2

: untanned cattle skin

rawhide

2 of 2 verb

rawhided; rawhiding

: to whip or drive with or as if with a rawhide