pirouette

[ pir-oo-et ]

/ ˌpɪr uˈɛt /

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See synonyms for: pirouette / pirouetted / pirouetting on Thesaurus.com

noun

a whirling about on one foot or on the points of the toes, as in ballet dancing.

Dressage. a complete turn in which the horse uses its hind legs as a pivot.

verb (used without object), pir·ou·et·ted, pir·ou·et·ting.

to perform a pirouette; whirl, as on the toes.

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Origin of pirouette

1700–10; <French: a whirl, top, feminine of Middle French pirouet, equivalent to pirou- (cognate with Italian pirolo, diminutive of piro peg) + -et-et

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pirouette in a sentence

A more accurate measurement will be taken on Saturday, when the collector arm is extended and the spacecraft’s thrusters nudge it into a gentle pirouette.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Probe Punched an Asteroid in the Name of Science. Here's What the Mission Could Teach Us|Jeffrey Kluger|October 22, 2020|Time
Swann told his classmate, “Try pirouetting with 11 300-pound guys trying to tackle you.”
Who's Really Behind Toyota's Crisis?|Eric Dezenhall|February 23, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The head sails have now been set, and we are curvetting and pirouetting about waiting for preparatory gun.
Yachting Vol. 2|Various.
Then pirouetting over to the largest mirror in sight she began to smooth and twist her silken sash into place.
Molly Make-Believe|Eleanor Hallowell Abbott

Pirouetting once more before the mirror, she divided one fleet glance between admiration for herself and scorn for Stanton.
Molly Make-Believe|Eleanor Hallowell Abbott
A sad little marble Cupid, with his bow and quiver gone, was still pirouetting in stony glee over a stained and dried-up basin.
Gardens of the Caribbees, v. 1/2|Ida May Hill Starr
It was infinitely droll to see the two, mincing, bowing, and pirouetting in front of the mirror.
A German Pompadour|Marie Hay

British Dictionary definitions for pirouette

pirouette

/ (ˌpɪrʊˈɛt) /

noun

a body spin, esp in dancing, on the toes or the ball of the foot

verb

(intr) to perform a pirouette

Word Origin for pirouette

C18: from French, from Old French pirouet spinning top; related to Italian pirolo little peg

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

pirouette

Origin of pirouette

Words related to pirouette

How to use pirouette in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pirouette

Word Origin for pirouette