0 a person who does a lot of work, especially of a type that is necessary but not interesting:
The steam engine was the workhorse of the Industrial Revolution.
1 a machine, piece of equipment, or vehicle that you can trust to work well and that you can use to do a lot of work:
2 someone who works very hard or who works very long hours
Bacillus subtilis and its relatives : molecular biological workhorses.
We shall certainly continue to argue for a standard that ensures improvements in future designs, especially the workhorse medium-sized aircraft.
A workhorse priced at under $2,000 it doesn't look as though every penny was pinched out of it, but retains a chic look.
He is known for being a quality time trialist, a classics specialist, and being a workhorse for his teammates that have general classification aspirations.
He was known as a workhorse and completed 388 of his 471 starts.
The ship was well armed for her size, but was primarily a workhorse for the overseas fleet.
Bronicas were workhorse cameras for wedding and portrait photographers for many years.
He is described as a midfield workhorse with attacking and defensive qualities.
