steeplechase
noun
stee·ple·chase
ˈstē-pəl-ˌchās 
1
a
: a horse race across country
b
: a horse race over a closed course with obstacles (such as hedges and walls)
2
: a footrace of usually 3000 meters over hurdles and a water jump
Examples of steeplechase in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
So begins a grand steeplechase that becomes the story of both The Secret Commonwealth and The Rose Field, which are so intertwined that they could plausibly have been published together as a single novel.
—
Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
Crossing the finish line in 10th and 11th is not how either Tim Van de Velde or Carlos San Martín would have been picturing the men’s 3,000m steeplechase qualifier on Saturday.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
The two Bahraini athletics medallists in Paris, Winfred Yavi (3,000m steeplechase gold) and Salwa Eid Naser (400m silver), come from Kenya and Nigeria.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Visit the site on the first weekend in November to attend the Montpelier Hunt Races, a steeplechase horse race that's taken place here for almost 90 years.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for steeplechase
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Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
Crossing the finish line in 10th and 11th is not how either Tim Van de Velde or Carlos San Martín would have been picturing the men’s 3,000m steeplechase qualifier on Saturday.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
The two Bahraini athletics medallists in Paris, Winfred Yavi (3,000m steeplechase gold) and Salwa Eid Naser (400m silver), come from Kenya and Nigeria.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Visit the site on the first weekend in November to attend the Montpelier Hunt Races, a steeplechase horse race that's taken place here for almost 90 years.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for steeplechase
Cite this Entry
“Steeplechase.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steeplechase. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
steeplechase
noun
stee·ple·chase
ˈstē-pəl-ˌchās
1
a
: a race over the countryside on horses
b
: a horse race on a special course with obstacles (as hedges and walls)
2
: a footrace of usually 3,000 meters over hurdles and a water jump
Etymology
so called from the fact that originally the races were across the countryside in a direct line toward a distant church steeple sighted rising above the other buildings
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