gallivant
Americanverb (used without object)
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to wander about, seeking pleasure or diversion; gad.
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to go about frivolously and publicly with multiple romantic partners.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gallivant
First recorded in 1815–25; perhaps fanciful alteration of gallant
Explanation
People who gallivant are out to have a good time as they wander. You might decide to take a year off between high school and college so you can gallivant around the country for a while. When you gallivant, you meander from one place to another in search of fun. A little kid might gallivant around the preschool classroom during free time, visiting her friends and playing with various toys. Professional musicians are sometimes able to gallivant from city to city in between performances. Gallivant comes from an old-fashioned definition of gallant, "a dashing man." To "play the gallant" was once a popular way to say "to gad about" or to gallivant.
Vocabulary lists containing gallivant
Born a Crime
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This Week in Pop Culture: December 8 -14, 2018
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Little Women
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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.
And I felt that as I watched adults gallivant around with childlike glee.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
Deer regularly gallivant into neighborhoods, jumping fences and lounging on front lawns.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 29, 2023
Look at the massive Seville cityscape here, by an unknown painter from around 1660, in which men of lighter and darker skin tones gossip and gallivant on the riverbank as galleons sail by.
From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2023
The other besieged children gallivant just as vivaciously, among them Charlie Hodson-Prior as Bruce, Winter Jarrett-Glasspool as Amanda and Rei Yamauchi Fulker as Lavender.
From Washington Post • Dec. 19, 2022
"The mill must keep working, Bronden. We cannot close it down to gallivant whenever we please."
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
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.
