one-horse town
(US, idiomatic) A very small town, especially one of a rural nature and offering very few or no attractions.
ˈhʌnˌhɔɹs ˈtaʊnDocumented since 1870sSilenthistorical27 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
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Born ~1871 · no dated citations yet19th centurySee decade cohort →
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#1·Apr 27, 2026
(US, idiomatic) A very small town, especially one of a rural nature and offering very few or no attractions.
It's surrounded by beautiful wilderness, but otherwise it's just a one-horse town.
Origin: The term “one-horse” originated as an agricultural phrase, meaning to be drawn or worked by a single horse. This led to the use of this phrase in a metaphorical sense as something that is small or insignificant. Charles Dickens explained in his publication All the Year Round (1871): ‘One horse’ is an agricultural phrase, applied to anything small or insignificant, or to any inconsiderable or contemptible person: as a ‘one-horse town,’ a ‘one-horse bank,’ a ‘one-horse hotel,’ a ‘one-horse lawyer’, etc. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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Other words near "one-horse town" (O)
one eighty outone engine in steamone-gallusedone guyoneguyone-holerO'Neillismone kindone-minute standone more againone of these odd-come-shortliesone-on-one
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