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Synonyms

quickstep

American  
[kwik-step] / ˈkwɪkˌstɛp /

noun

  1. (formerly) a lively step used in marching.

  2. music adapted to such a march, or in a brisk march rhythm.

  3. a lively step or combination of steps in ballroom dancing.


quickstep British  
/ ˈkwɪkˌstɛp /

noun

  1. a modern ballroom dance in rapid quadruple time

  2. a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance

"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

verb

  1. (intr) to perform this dance

"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 quickstep

First recorded in 1795–1805; quick + step


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.

See Examples For:

Back in the actual 1990s, ice dancers cycled through traditional dances: samba, blues, polka, rumba, quickstep, tango, jive, paso doble, Viennese waltz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026

The quickstep and jive hailed from an era of Brylcreem and Butlin's holidays.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2023

Feeling safe and among their own, they made many friends there while polishing off their tango and quickstep.

From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2023

Carrie Ann calls it “a little wild” and cautions him to watch his posture, but she likes that it had way more passion than you usually see in a quickstep.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 15, 2020

At this critical juncture my father's old follower Kishori came to the rescue, and finished the episode for us, at express speed, to the quickstep of Dasuraya's jingling verses.

From My Reminiscences by Sasi Kumar Hesh

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