stalking horse

noun

stalk·​ing horse ˈstȯ-kiŋ- 

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

Recent Examples on the Web

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. —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

Word History

First Known Use

1519, in the meaning defined at sense 1