neighs

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of neigh.

   The pony neighs at the gate every time the feed bucket appears.

   A frightened horse neighs sharply when thunder rolls overhead.

   Note

   It is the form a single subject takes: the pony neighs, but the ponies neigh. The verb is not reserved for horses. Anything that makes a horse-like sound can be said to neigh. Older English also used it to mean scoffing or sneering, a meaning now obsolete. The same spelling also serves as the plural of the cry.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of neigh.

   The trainer recognized each of her horses by their distinct neighs.

   Excited neighs rose from the stalls as the riders arrived for the morning.

   Note

   The plural is regular, a plain -s added to neigh, and it is spelled exactly like the verb's present-tense form. Context tells them apart. A determiner or adjective in front (their distinct neighs, excited neighs) marks the noun, while a singular subject before it (the pony neighs) marks the verb. As a noun it names only a horse's cry, and the looser uses belong to the verb.

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