hoofer

[hoof-er, hoo-fer]

noun

Slang.

1. a professional dancer, especially a tap dancer.

hoofer

/ ˈhuːfə /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hoofer¹

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

Example Sentences

In a brassy set piece from the 1952 classic “Singin’ in the Rain,” its star, Gene Kelly, impersonates a newbie hoofer seeking fame on the Great White Way.

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In West, every character is out of place — an Ivy Leaguer beguiled by Hollywood, a vaudeville hoofer reduced to door-to-door selling, a Midwesterner lured to California for his health, a suspiciously mature child actor.

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“Hope springs so eternal, an 83-year-old hoofer recently took a turn.”

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American Contemporary Ballet’s ‘Astaire Dances’ The L.A-based company returns with a new edition of this stylish and sophisticated offering that celebrates the legendary hoofer’s classic dance routines.

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“The Phantom of the Opera” has been running on Broadway longer than many of the industry’s hoofers have been alive.

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Related Words

• dancer