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hoofer

American  
[hoof-er, hoo-fer] / ˈhʊf ər, ˈhu fər /

noun

Slang.

  1. a professional dancer, especially a tap dancer.

hoofer British  
/ ˈhuːfə /

noun

  1. slang a professional dancer, esp a tap-dancer

"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

Etymology

Origin of hoofer

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; hoof + -er 1

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.

Still, Spot is a gifted hoofer and roboinfluencer.

From Washington Post • Aug. 6, 2021

But it wasn’t just Mary Poppins’ uniquely oblique persona that the actress had to find; carrying a bombastic Hollywood throwback musical, she embraced her inner Broadway hoofer … and vocalist.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2018

On opening night he took a brief turn around the stage with Gloria Steinem, who I’m guessing was quite the hoofer in her younger years.

From Salon • Aug. 12, 2017

But the actor brought his own sinewy charisma, stop-start diction and hoofer muscle memory to the part.

From New York Times • Dec. 5, 2014

I used to be a tumbler—huk!—only now I gotta be a hoofer.

From The Hoofer by Miller, Walter M.

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.