(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.
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
The major gimmick is to trot out surprise Marvel characters for applause moments, like guest stars blowing air kisses to the crowd on a variety show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
I’m surprised Rubio didn’t trot out after the cameras caught Trump napping to testify that he’s never seen him asleep.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026
“Justice is when you can trot where you like and graze where you want. When you can fight to go your own way,” he says in the book.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
Right away, the dogs trot next to us.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
Trot first emerged in the 1930s, when Korea was still colonised by Japan.
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
Sadly, just a few weeks later, their three-year-old daughter, Trot, developed diphtheria and died.
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
She said walking Captain Crumpet was a "real mood booster, I can't help but smile seeing his happy tail as he trots along".
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026
The court trots it out at undetermined times in undetermined ways.
From Slate ● Dec. 5, 2025
In a digital world that constantly trots in and out of cultural trends with blistering frequency, it can seem difficult to pin down the definition of "meaning."
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2024
As she trots toward Hilly, Celia stumbles over a chair leg.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
It’s the same answer trotted out by acolytes of the entirely-made-up Ned Ludd.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2026
"He had his heart listened to, he was trotted up, his limbs were checked. Everything was normal as you'd expect," he said.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
A Nobel-winning scientist will be trotted out to offer an “explanation” of how the drug works and what it can do, but it’s really just magic beans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026
It does not show where the coyote came from or reveal its fate — whether it was washed back into the frigid water or trotted off into the island’s interior.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2026
I forced my limbs into motion and trotted behind them, rubbing sleep out of my eyes.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Airlines know how badly we want better in-flight Wi-Fi, so they keep trotting out incremental updates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
TikTok and Instagram have seen an explosion of adventure cat content over the past few years - pets perched on paddleboards, scaling mountains or trotting on beaches.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026
Cumming’s host persona may not be evil per se, but he is wicked enough for his beloved pooch, Lala, to look absolutely angelic trotting next to him.
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 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
Then, trotting daintily, despite her size, she would move to a shady corner of her enclosure and settle comfortably for the rest of the day.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
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.
