cavorting

American  

[kuh-vawr-ting] / kəˈvɔr tɪŋ /

adjective

1. romping or capering playfully about; frolicking.

   Here you can see Arctic life up close—snowy owls, white foxes, cavorting polar bear cubs, and the amazing sled dogs.

2. behaving in a high-spirited, playful way.

   During a game of musical statues, the shy boy stood motionless in the middle of the cavorting group.

3. partying or behaving in an unrestrained way, often with the implication of sexual activity.

---

noun

1. the act of frolicking playfully about, behaving in a high-spirited or unrestrained way, or partying, often with the implication of sexual activity.

   Recent reports of drunken cavorting with a 19-year-old model have damaged the mayor’s squeaky-clean image.

Etymology

Origin of cavorting

First recorded in 1835–45; cavort ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; cavort ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun sense

Example Sentences

On view were hastily brushed, large canvases of musketeers, toreadors, atelier scenes and cavorting couples.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

The challenge for Democrats is that the district doesn’t just resemble Behn’s Nashville-based turf that features hipsters rolling their eyes at bachelorette parties cavorting on pedal bars.

From Slate • Dec. 2, 2025

The official trailer for the sequel shows the chirpy red-capped Italian plumber cavorting with his friends and nemeses in a colourful intergalactic universe.

From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025

Lady Gaga is also teetering around on crutches, cavorting with zombies and crossing the River Styx.

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025

Goblin had been cavorting, blowing through his nostrils, begging to be let out.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

Related Words

• boisterous
• jaunty
• joyful
• joyous
• lighthearted
• merry
• spirited
• sprightly