Thesaurus results for CHARLEY HORSE

charley horse

noun

ˈchär-lē-ˌhȯrs

Definition of charley horse

as in cramp

a painful sudden tightening of a muscle had to stop and rest because of a charley horse in his leg

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of charley horse Of course, our new life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies and charley horses. — Danielle Kraese, New Yorker, 24 July 2025 After walking Jung Hoo Lee on five pitches to lead off the seventh, Gore left the game alongside a trainer in the middle of a plate appearance against Matt Chapman due to a charley horse in his left leg. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 May 2025 Leg cramps, sometimes called charley horses, are sudden, involuntary muscle contractions that cause intense shooting pain that lasts seconds to minutes. — Amy Brownstein, Ms, Rdn, Verywell Health, 31 Oct. 2024 More commonly known as a charley horse, a nighttime leg cramp is when the muscles in a leg quickly tighten up. — Erica Lamberg, Fox News, 4 Feb. 2024 This is different than the last time, when the guy has the charley horse. — Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2023 David Della-Giustina, MD, an emergency medicine doctor and professor of emergency medicine at Yale School of Medicine, says those heat cramps feel like a muscle spasm, or what's known as a charley horse. — Leah Groth, Health.com, 17 June 2020

Recent Examples of Synonyms for charley horse

Noun

Players can also request a three-minute medical time-out for each injury that occurs — which could include overheating symptoms such as dizziness or cramps.

— Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
Salmonella bacteria are a leading cause of foodborne illness in the country, with symptoms including diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of cramp

Browse Nearby Words

charlatans

charley horse

charley horses

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Charley horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charley%20horse. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of charley horse

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

recalcitrant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes