prance

American  

[prans, prahns] / præns, prɑns /

verb (used without object)

pranced, prancing

1. to spring from the hind legs; to move by springing, as a horse.

2. to ride on a horse doing this.

3. to ride gaily, proudly, or insolently.

4. to move or go in an elated manner; cavort.

   Synonyms:

   frisk, frolic, romp, skip, leap, gambol

5. to dance or move in a lively or spirited manner; caper.

   Synonyms:

   frisk, frolic, romp, skip, leap, gambol

---

verb (used with object)

pranced, prancing

1. to cause to prance.

noun

1. the act of prancing; a prancing movement.

prance British  

/ prɑːns /

verb

1. (intr) to swagger or strut

2. (intr) to caper, gambol, or dance about

3. (intr)

   1. (of a horse) to move with high lively springing steps

   2. to ride a horse that moves in this way

4. (tr) to cause to prance

---

noun

1. the act or an instance of prancing

Other Word Forms

• prancer
  noun
• prancingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of prance

1325–75; Middle English prauncen, praunsen (v.); akin to Danish (dial.) pransk spirited, said of a horse

Explanation

When you prance, you swagger around with exaggerated, proud movements. If you've seen many rock concerts, you've seen people prance around onstage. When people prance, they're showing off, strutting for the benefit of their audience. Horses prance too, with a gait that's also a little artificial, using high, springy steps. You might prance a little when you run up on stage to accept an award, and a show horse might be equally inclined to prance as it moves past the judges. The horse gait definition is the original meaning of prance, and it probably comes from the Middle English pranken, "to show off."

Example Sentences

Some people take this stuff way too seriously and kind of prance around the ring.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2024

That’s why they were in position to prance jubilantly off the field when Dunlap thwarted Garoppolo’s fourth-down, last-gasp effort to add to the litany of painful finishes for the Seahawks this season.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 5, 2021

“That doesn’t I mean have to put on a red-white-and-blue shirt and prance around a hall or whatever,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2021

“Inside, Amber is actually a ‘My Little Pony’ cartoon, and if you watch carefully, she will prance around and sing and a rainbow will come out of her mouth and it’s great,” Davis says.

From Washington Post • Feb. 5, 2021

He and his brothers no longer prance the tobacco and cotton fields at night.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• gambol
• sashay
• strut
• swagger