(of a horse) to go at a gait between a walk and a run, in which the legs move in diagonal pairs, but not quite simultaneously, so that when the movement is slow one foot at least is always on the ground, and when fast all four feet are momentarily off the ground at once.
to cause to trot.
to ride (a horse) at a trot.
to lead at a trot.
to travel over by trotting.
to spend the day trotting the country byways.
to execute by trotting.
the gait of a horse, dog, or other quadruped, when trotting.
the sound made by an animal when trotting.
the jogging gait of a human being, between a walk and a run.
Harness Racing. a race for trotters.
brisk, continuous movement or activity.
I've been on the trot all afternoon.
Archaic: Disparaging. an old woman.
Slang. a literal translation used illicitly in doing schoolwork; crib; pony.
Informal. the trots, diarrhea.
Informal. a toddling child.
to move or cause to move at a trot
angling to fish (a fast-moving stream or river) by using a float and weighted line that carries the baited hook just above the bottom
a gait of a horse or other quadruped, faster than a walk, in which diagonally opposite legs come down together See also jog trot rising trot sitting trot
a steady brisk pace
(in harness racing) a race for horses that have been trained to trot fast
angling
one of the short lines attached to a trotline
the trotline
informal a run of luck
a good trot
a small child; tot
slang a student's crib
informal
one after the other
to read two books on the trot
busy, esp on one's feet
informal
diarrhoea
trotting races
The meaning “old woman” is archaic, used with disparaging intent especially in contexts where the woman is regarded as mean, ugly, etc.
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb trotten, trot(te), from Middle French trot(t)er, from Germanic; akin to Old High German trottōn “to tread,” Middle High German trotten “to run”; noun derivative of the verb
First recorded in 1880–85; short for trotline
To trot is move faster than walking, but not quite at a full-out run. You might trot down the street when you hear the ice cream truck coming. People can trot — as they do when they jog or do a slow run — and so can four-legged animals, especially horses. When you see a horse trot, you'll notice that its diagonally opposite legs move together, touching the ground at the same time. Trot is a Middle English word that comes from Old French, troter, "to trot or to go," which in turn has a Germanic root related to the word tread.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Simpson’s last opportunity to trot around the bases came at Georgia Tech in 2022, but even that came with a giant asterisk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Yes, the Dodgers knew exactly what they were doing by continuing to trot out the 24-year-old right-hander, providing him with the big league education they promised.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Eventually Lily and Mopple trot across the truth, not only about George’s murder but also the sinister plans other humans have for them.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
Since starting the campaign with five wins on the trot, Slot's side have won just nine of their next 26 games in the league.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026
If we saw a creakity wagon up ahead full of country folks going to town, I’d cluck the mules to a smart trot and we’d all wave as we passed them.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
"Trot isn't just cheesy or old-fashioned music," he tells the BBC.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
The Palisades defiantly hosted its annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot this year, with superfit dads pushing strollers and soccer moms power-walking through what looks like World War II Dresden.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
This is a woman from Possum Trot, Alabama, who grew up with nothing, a very modest upbringing, but people love her.
From Salon ● May 9, 2025
On Thursday, Cavenaugh attended Piedmont’s annual Turkey Trot and called on community members to remember the three high school graduates killed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2024
Giving up his obligations at the Eclectic and leaving Lucretia and Trot to move in with her parents in Hiram, Garfield went to war.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
He came home after an Nvidia developer conference with Theo, a robot dog trained on Lester’s own sermons that trots his church’s aisles on Sundays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
As Fennell trots along Brontë’s tentpoles, she dusts the narrative between these plot points with sensational set pieces and eye-popping costumes.
From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2026
A bit of lettuce, a bit of cucumber, a few trots around the garden and he's quite happy.
From BBC ● May 19, 2025
We’ll have to wait and see if he trots out any fun new nicknames at the town hall for Latino voters that airs Wednesday night.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2024
Each time Rosie trots ahead of August and stops, they roar with laughter.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
In his first at-bat of the game, he lifted a solo home run into the left-field bleachers and trotted around the bases to a chorus of boos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The boom-and-bust Nifty Fifty stocks of the early 1970s, long trotted out as a cautionary tale of falling in love with one group, weren’t so bad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
It’s the same answer trotted out by acolytes of the entirely-made-up Ned Ludd.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2026
Wacky character traits get trotted out merely for visual dazzle, not to generate any intrigue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Fig trotted at my heels, his gray fur tickling my ankle.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
The 40-year-old unnamed man is accused of disrupting the search by creating and distributing a fake photo purporting to show Neukgu, the wolf, trotting down a road intersection.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
Samuel Brannan proclaimed in 1848, trotting a bottle of gold dust around San Francisco and effectively kicking off the Gold Rush.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
He did not score again but did set up a try for winger Teddy Thomas with a pin-point crossfield kick before trotting off after an hour with victory secure.
From Barron's ● Dec. 28, 2025
Emerging from the curtains on the first night of Crooked Con, like a reliever trotting onto the field in the bottom of the ninth, was none other than Barack Obama.
From Slate ● Nov. 19, 2025
I grudged the months I had spent with her, employed by her, taking her money, trotting in her wake like a shadow, drab and dumb.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
