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horn out

C1 informal separable transitive
In simple words

Push someone out of a place or position using pressure or force.

Literal meaning: To use horns (as an animal does) to drive something outward.

Meanings

1 C1 idiomatic informal

To force a rival or competitor out of a market, position, or territory through aggressive action.

"The larger chain horned out the independent shops by cutting prices dramatically."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Rare and somewhat archaic. Used mainly in business or competitive contexts to describe aggressive displacement of a competitor. Far less common than its antonym 'horn in'.

Commonly used with

competition market territory rival position

Forms

Base
horn out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
horns out
he/she/it
Past simple
horned out
yesterday
Past participle
horned out
have + pp
-ing form
horning out
continuous

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Synonyms

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