unhorse

[ uhn-hawrs ]

/ ʌnˈhɔrs /

to cause to fall from a horse, as in battle; dislodge from the saddle: Sir Gawain unhorsed the strange knight.

to defeat; overcome; dislodge, as from a position or office: His vigorous campaign unhorsed his adversary.

Origin of unhorse

First recorded in 1350–1400, unhorse is from the Middle English word unhorsen. See un-², horse

unholy, unhood, unhook, unhoped, unhoped-for, unhorse, unhouse, unhouseled, unhuman, unhurried, unhurt

If they win, they grab at booty; if they lose, they unhorse and pilfer their own side!

The Bbur-nma in English |Babur, Emperor of Hindustan
And they charged each other, and fought all that day until the evening, and neither of them was able to unhorse the other.

The Mabinogion |Lady Charlotte Guest
It took, indeed, the vast shock of the Civil War to unhorse the optimists.

The American Language |Henry L. Mencken
Thus the point of the fir-tree caught him upon the shoulder and came near to unhorse him.

The Blue Flower, and Others |Henry van Dyke

If thou turnest to flee, he will overtake thee, and if thou abidest where thou art, he will unhorse thee.

The Lilac Fairy Book |Andrew Lang

unhorse

/ (ʌnˈhɔːs) /

(usually passive) to knock or throw from a horse

to overthrow or dislodge, as from a powerful position

rare to unharness horses from (a carriage, etc)