(of a horse) to go at a gait between a walk and a run, in which the legs move in diagonal pairs, but not quite simultaneously, so that when the movement is slow one foot at least is always on the ground, and when fast all four feet are momentarily off the ground at once.
to cause to trot.
to ride (a horse) at a trot.
to lead at a trot.
to travel over by trotting.
to spend the day trotting the country byways.
to execute by trotting.
the gait of a horse, dog, or other quadruped, when trotting.
the sound made by an animal when trotting.
the jogging gait of a human being, between a walk and a run.
Harness Racing. a race for trotters.
brisk, continuous movement or activity.
I've been on the trot all afternoon.
Archaic: Disparaging. an old woman.
Slang. a literal translation used illicitly in doing schoolwork; crib; pony.
Informal. the trots, diarrhea.
Informal. a toddling child.
to move or cause to move at a trot
angling to fish (a fast-moving stream or river) by using a float and weighted line that carries the baited hook just above the bottom
a gait of a horse or other quadruped, faster than a walk, in which diagonally opposite legs come down together See also jog trot rising trot sitting trot
a steady brisk pace
(in harness racing) a race for horses that have been trained to trot fast
angling
one of the short lines attached to a trotline
the trotline
informal a run of luck
a good trot
a small child; tot
slang a student's crib
informal
one after the other
to read two books on the trot
busy, esp on one's feet
informal
diarrhoea
trotting races
The meaning “old woman” is archaic, used with disparaging intent especially in contexts where the woman is regarded as mean, ugly, etc.
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb trotten, trot(te), from Middle French trot(t)er, from Germanic; akin to Old High German trottōn “to tread,” Middle High German trotten “to run”; noun derivative of the verb
First recorded in 1880–85; short for trotline
To trot is move faster than walking, but not quite at a full-out run. You might trot down the street when you hear the ice cream truck coming. People can trot — as they do when they jog or do a slow run — and so can four-legged animals, especially horses. When you see a horse trot, you'll notice that its diagonally opposite legs move together, touching the ground at the same time. Trot is a Middle English word that comes from Old French, troter, "to trot or to go," which in turn has a Germanic root related to the word tread.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Yes, the Dodgers knew exactly what they were doing by continuing to trot out the 24-year-old right-hander, providing him with the big league education they promised.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
The major gimmick is to trot out surprise Marvel characters for applause moments, like guest stars blowing air kisses to the crowd on a variety show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Eventually Lily and Mopple trot across the truth, not only about George’s murder but also the sinister plans other humans have for them.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
“Justice is when you can trot where you like and graze where you want. When you can fight to go your own way,” he says in the book.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
And when he’s moving at a trot to catch up, I make an unexpected dart through the front door of an apartment building.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Trot songs often express "han" - a deep-seated feeling of sorrow, resentment and longing shaped by Korea's history of foreign subjugation and one of the most enduring themes in Korean culture.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
The Palisades defiantly hosted its annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot this year, with superfit dads pushing strollers and soccer moms power-walking through what looks like World War II Dresden.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
This is a woman from Possum Trot, Alabama, who grew up with nothing, a very modest upbringing, but people love her.
From Salon ● May 9, 2025
On Thursday, Cavenaugh attended Piedmont’s annual Turkey Trot and called on community members to remember the three high school graduates killed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2024
Nehemiah Trot said, “Ah, list to me, young Leander, young Hero, young Alexander. If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained.”
From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman
He came home after an Nvidia developer conference with Theo, a robot dog trained on Lester’s own sermons that trots his church’s aisles on Sundays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
She said walking Captain Crumpet was a "real mood booster, I can't help but smile seeing his happy tail as he trots along".
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026
As Fennell trots along Brontë’s tentpoles, she dusts the narrative between these plot points with sensational set pieces and eye-popping costumes.
From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2026
The court trots it out at undetermined times in undetermined ways.
From Slate ● Dec. 5, 2025
He barks the order to mount up, and the cavalry trots back out to the main road.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
The occasion often feels tacked-on amid the barbecues and the shiny putters trotted out like obligations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
An animatronic puppet has been trotted out like a real-life celebrity in advance of the movie’s Friday opening, putting Grogu’s high-tech internal machinery—and the puppeteers operating it out of sight with remote controls—to the test.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
It’s the same answer trotted out by acolytes of the entirely-made-up Ned Ludd.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2026
"He had his heart listened to, he was trotted up, his limbs were checked. Everything was normal as you'd expect," he said.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
They occasionally came upon a dirt road or a hiking trail, and the ram trotted across casually, while our friends crept across cautiously.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Fergus: I'd prefer the SFA to do a proper recruitment process, instead of trotting out the usual candidates.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
He did not score again but did set up a try for winger Teddy Thomas with a pin-point crossfield kick before trotting off after an hour with victory secure.
From Barron's ● Dec. 28, 2025
Emerging from the curtains on the first night of Crooked Con, like a reliever trotting onto the field in the bottom of the ninth, was none other than Barack Obama.
From Slate ● Nov. 19, 2025
They crept into his home en masse, climbing through the air-conditioning units, clinging to the window curtains, marching down the wall, trotting across the vaulted ceiling, lurking in the gloom of the basement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 16, 2025
But Beans was in a hurry, trotting through town, checking out Farquar’s usual haunts, knocking on the doors of his friends, calling out his name.
From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
