cavort

[kuh-vawrt]

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verb (used without object)

to prance or caper about.
to behave in a high-spirited, festive manner; make merry.

Origin of cavort

1785–95, Americanism; earlier cavault, perhaps cur(vet) + vault²

Related formsca·vort·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for cavorting

Contemporary Examples

No pictures of him cavorting naked in hotel rooms have yet been received by the Royalist.
Newly Single Harry Parties In Miami!
Tom Sykes
May 1, 2014
Difference is, when her brother finds snapshots of Nadia cavorting on a Spanish beach, the honor of the family is compromised.
Want This Woman to Lie About Herself? You Can Just Burq Off!
Moral Courage
March 24, 2014
Has the kind of cavorting the Secret Service engaged in while in Colombia ever happened before?
Senate Panel Quizzes Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan on Colombian Prostitutes
Daniel Stone
May 23, 2012
Not cavorting inconsequentially between consequential legislative votes and consequential congressional committee meetings.
The Anthony Weiner Scandal: C’mon, America, Nobody’s Perfect
Lee Siegel
June 11, 2011

Historical Examples

I knew him at once among the cavorting throng of challenging devils.
Old Rail Fence Corners
Various
Mnchen with dignity thrown to the winds and cavorting in the dress of a clown!
An American Girl in Munich
Mabel W. Daniels
There were dozens of them, frisking and cavorting in the air.
The Piebald Hippogriff
Karen Anderson
The women join the dance, cavorting about unclothed, just as the men do.
The Land of Tomorrow
William B Stephenson, Jr.
Well, what idea do you suppose has been cavorting through my brain all night?
The Companions of Jehu
Alexandre Dumas, pre

British Dictionary definitions for cavorting

cavort

verb

(intr) to prance; caper

Derived Formscavorter, noun

Word Origin

C19: perhaps from curvet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cavorting

cavort

v.

1793, cauvaut, American English, of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be an alteration of curvet "a leap by a horse," from French and related to curve (v.). Or perhaps from ca- colloquial intensive prefix + vault "to jump, leap." Modern form attested by 1829. Related: Cavorted; cavorting.

cavort

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}cavort

Examples from the Web for cavorting

Contemporary Examples

No pictures of him cavorting naked in hotel rooms have yet been received by the Royalist.

Difference is, when her brother finds snapshots of Nadia cavorting on a Spanish beach, the honor of the family is compromised.

Has the kind of cavorting the Secret Service engaged in while in Colombia ever happened before?

Not cavorting inconsequentially between consequential legislative votes and consequential congressional committee meetings.

Historical Examples

I knew him at once among the cavorting throng of challenging devils.

Mnchen with dignity thrown to the winds and cavorting in the dress of a clown!

There were dozens of them, frisking and cavorting in the air.

The women join the dance, cavorting about unclothed, just as the men do.

Well, what idea do you suppose has been cavorting through my brain all night?

cavort

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for cavorting

cavort

v.

Origin of cavort