waltz
Americannoun
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a ballroom dance, in moderately fast triple meter, in which the dancers revolve in perpetual circles, taking one step to each beat.
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a piece of music for, or in the rhythm of, this dance.
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Informal. an easy victory or accomplishment.
The game was a waltz—we won by four touchdowns. The math exam was a waltz.
adjective
verb (used without object)
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to dance or move in a waltz step or rhythm.
an invitation to waltz.
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Informal.
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to move breezily or casually.
to waltz in late for dinner.
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to progress easily or successfully (often followed bythrough ).
to waltz through an exam.
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verb (used with object)
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to lead (a partner) in dancing a waltz.
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Informal. to move or lead briskly and easily.
He waltzed us right into the governor's office.
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to fill (a period of time) with waltzing (often followed by away, through, etc.).
They waltzed the night away.
noun
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a ballroom dance in triple time in which couples spin around as they progress round the room
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a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance
verb
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to dance or lead (someone) in or as in a waltz
he waltzed her off her feet
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(intr) to move in a sprightly and self-assured manner
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informal (intr) to succeed easily
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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waltzsimple
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waltzessimple
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have waltzedperfect
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has waltzedperfect
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am waltzingprogressive
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are waltzingprogressive
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is waltzingprogressive
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have been waltzingperfect progressive
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has been waltzingperfect progressive
Past
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waltzedsimple
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had waltzedperfect
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was waltzingprogressive
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were waltzingprogressive
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had been waltzingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of waltz
1775–85; back formation from German Walzer a waltz (taken as walz + -er 1 ), derivative of walzen to roll, dance; compare obsolete English walt unsteady, dial. walter to roll
Explanation
A dance in which two dancers move in triple time as they turn together in circles is called a waltz, and it's also the name of music that's written for that sort of dance. If you aspire to be a competitive ballroom dancer, you'll need to master the waltz. Waltz is also a verb, so couples may waltz around the ballroom while the band plays a waltz. When you waltz, you face your dance partner with one hand on their waist or shoulder and the other clasping their hand. The two of you move in a gliding spin. It its earliest days, the waltz was considered a bit shocking—previous dances were "open," with couples side by side, rather than "closed," with dancers facing each other.
Vocabulary lists containing waltz
Western Europe - Introductory
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Curtain Call: Dance and Theater Terms
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Western Europe - Middle School and High School
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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:
And wow did they waltz right through that open door.
From Slate ● May 23, 2026
I don’t know any woman who doesn’t live some version of this life, locked in a sentimental, twisted waltz with the difficult woman who raised her.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
For their first dance, they had practised a traditional waltz.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
Francis, who died in July at 87, created something new while acknowledging the song’s original waltz identity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
“I hope you have saved this waltz for me, Miss Cranston. And many more besides.”
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
Everywhere in the world there are New Year’s concerts featuring Strauss waltzes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
Wallace soon waltzes into the room to take over, having accessorised his usual clothes with a larger-than-life sparkling red bow tie.
From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2024
No wonder Woodward is still writing all these books; the guy’s just trying to enjoy his canapés, and the country’s top military officer waltzes over to share choice content like this.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2024
It waltzes right indoors, and right to the shiny refreshed kitchen and new family room, where it meets its dazzling friend teal.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
I wondered what he thought about a mama who just waltzes up to Chattanooga instead of making orange Jell-O in coffee mugs.
From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor
He then got his try when he latched on to the ball on the edge of the 22 and waltzed over the line, and Doak converted.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Rayo Vallecano waltzed to a 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid on Sunday in La Liga, leaving Diego Simeone's side 15 points behind leaders Real Madrid.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
Jennifer Coolidge waltzed by in bare feet, frequently stopping so fans could take selfies with her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2025
Back in March, however, security staff waltzed in and confiscated four standalone PCs that were networked to an inkjet printer, one after another, leaving us with typewriters to type our legal work.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2024
June waltzed up with her hand stuck out so I could admire her ring.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
“If anyone expected the two of them to duke it out in Wright’s much-maligned rotunda,” Huxtable writes, they’d be shocked to discover the two Franks waltzing harmoniously instead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
The iconic president’s son failed the New York bar exam twice and co-founded George magazine, a glossy devoted to waltzing at the intersection of politics and popular people.
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026
"She's waltzing with the angels," Minns said, reading a poem in her honour.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025
What gives with this senescent New Year’s tradition of still waltzing 200 years since the birth of the dance’s greatest maker, Johann Strauss II?
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
See everything in the landscape except the three waltzing elephants.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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.
