horses, not zebras

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Synonym of when you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Dạng đồng nghĩa của khi bạn nghe thấy tiếng động của ngựa, hãy nghĩ về ngựa, không phải zebras

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “horses, not zebras” mean?

Synonym of when you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras.

Is “horses, not zebras” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.