caracole
Americannoun
-
caracoles
plural
-
a half turn executed by a horse and rider.
-
Rare. a winding staircase.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
dressage a half turn to the right or left
-
a spiral staircase
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of caracole
1650–60; < French < Spanish caracol snail, spiral shell or stair, turning movement (of a horse)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The crude might of the queen was transformed into refined power, restrained and directed by a system of sparkling levers; the pawns grew cleverer; the knights stepped forth with a Spanish caracole .
From Time Magazine Archive
He began to rear and caracole as if he were about to suffer transformation into a colt.
From Time Magazine Archive
Leap -- N. leap, jump, hop, spring, bound, vault, saltation†. ance, caper; curvet, caracole; gambade†, gambado†; capriole, demivolt†; buck, buck jump; hop skip and jump; falcade†. kangaroo, jerboa; chamois, goat, frog, grasshopper, flea; buckjumper†; wallaby.
From Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Peter Mark Roget
It fluctuated; the warriors who were there did not like to be aimed at; they began to zigzag, caracole, and diverge to right or left; several halted and commenced using their bows.
From Overland by J. W. (John William) De Forest
The discomfiture of the procession was quite a delightful entertainment for him, and he made his little mule caracole about in the hope of an encore.
From Travels in Tartary, Thibet, and China During the years 1844-5-6. Volume 1 [of 2] by Evariste Regis Huc
The waiter prodded the table to try caracoles, or snails, eaten by pushing a toothpick into the shell and dragging out the body.
From New York Times ● Jul. 15, 2011
But for $20 she swindled out of the warden as she was leaving her latest penitentiary she is penniless, but she caracoles into town as the Countess of Auburn.
From Time Magazine Archive
The little girl caracoles sedately, clad in a riding habit, and armed with a crop.
From Light by Fitzwater Wray
He then mounts his horse, caracoles about, brandishing his lance, and afterwards in the courtyard he repeats the performances before the people ever eager to take part in the spectacle.
From English Villages by P. H. (Peter Hampson) Ditchfield
Fialin had the arrogant air of a man who caracoles before a crime.
From The History of a Crime The Testimony of an Eye-Witness by Victor Hugo
Above Beirut's Place des Canons last week R.A.F. planes roared and caracoled.
From Time Magazine Archive
In front of it, as the week went on, a thousand horses paraded, galloped, caracoled — black and grey, hunter and hackney, carriage-horse and teamster.
From Time Magazine Archive
Shadow’s mount caracoled away from it, and Shadow stroked its neck and told it not to be afraid.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
Under the massy double gate caracoled the charger.
From A Victor of Salamis by William Stearns Davis
Alexander sighed with delight when they led her out from her stable and she walked about with Ian beside her, and when presently Ian mounted she curveted and caracoled.
From Foes by Mary Johnston
Prancing, caracoling or stiffly reined in, they constitute a lexicon of equine movement that Western art could hardly rival for another 1400 years.
From Time Magazine Archive
Of many existing causes for alarm, one minor one has been Author Louis Golding's caracoling cleverness, which has frightened away more than a few cautious readers.
From Time Magazine Archive
But this picture passed away, and he saw that maddening circle with the caracoling steeds.
From The Village Watch-Tower by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin
She turned towards the drive, Smith caracoling at her side.
From The Girl on the Boat by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse
Our party was every moment swelled by fresh reinforcements, and we had soon fifty horsemen caracoling by our sides.
From Travels in the Steppes of the Caspian Sea, the Crimea, the Caucasus, &c. by Xavier Hommaire de Hell
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
