1. horses used for heavy work or labor
2. people who work very hard and reliably, especially doing routine or difficult tasks
Usage: figurative
3. machines, vehicles, or equipment that are dependable and used for heavy-duty tasks
Usage: figurative

Examples

• The farm relied on sturdy workhorses to plow the fields.
• These old trucks are the workhorses of our delivery fleet.
• She’s one of the workhorses of the accounting department.
• The company’s workhorses handled all the routine data processing.
• Those reliable printers are the real workhorses of the office.
• The Clydesdale workhorses pulled heavy loads through the city streets.
• These employees are the workhorses who keep everything running smoothly.