1
: a horse or a figure like a horse behind which a hunter stalks game
2
: something used to mask a purpose
3
: a candidate put forward to divide the opposition or to conceal someone's real candidacy
Examples of stalking horse in a Sentence
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Lids' opening bid, known as the stalking horse bid, is 62% of the cost value of the retailer's inventory on hand at the time of the sale's closure date, estimated to equal about $4.25 million.
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Jc Reindl, Detroit Free Press, 10 Sep. 2024
Hezbollah remains a potent regional actor: a stalking horse for Iran, and a prop to the Syrian regime.
—Bilal Y. Saab, Foreign Affairs, 21 Jan. 2015
While auctions raise the possibility that better offers could be forthcoming, the likelihood that a stalking horse bidder could end up out of the picture isn’t all that common.
—Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 4 Sep. 2024
In the eyes of Russian leaders, EU expansion is a stalking horse for NATO expansion.
—John Mearsheimer, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2014
See all Example Sentences for stalking horse 
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Jc Reindl, Detroit Free Press, 10 Sep. 2024
Hezbollah remains a potent regional actor: a stalking horse for Iran, and a prop to the Syrian regime.
—Bilal Y. Saab, Foreign Affairs, 21 Jan. 2015
While auctions raise the possibility that better offers could be forthcoming, the likelihood that a stalking horse bidder could end up out of the picture isn’t all that common.
—Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 4 Sep. 2024
In the eyes of Russian leaders, EU expansion is a stalking horse for NATO expansion.
—John Mearsheimer, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2014
See all Example Sentences for stalking horse
Dictionary Entries Near stalking horse
Cite this Entry
“Stalking horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalking%20horse. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
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