cavort

[ kuh-vawrt ]

verb (used without object)

1. to prance or caper about.
2. to behave in a high-spirited, festive manner; have a lively good time; revel.

cavort

/ kəˈvɔːt /

verb

1. intr to prance; caper

Derived Forms

• caˈvorter, noun

Other Words From

• ca·vort·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cavort¹

An Americanism dating back to 1785–95; earlier cavault, perhaps cur(vet) ( def ) + vault ²( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of cavort¹

C19: perhaps from curvet

Example Sentences

The perennially under-construction compound, with its “oleander … and old milk cartons … R. Crumb comics, empty tea and coffee mugs, and ashtrays,” was often inhabited, Moon writes, by naked strangers “cavorting or making candles.”

From Los Angeles Times

And after a week of juggling personal, professional and financial responsibilities, sometimes cavorting with singing pirates and dancing dolls simply takes the edge off.

From Los Angeles Times

As summer sends more of us out to these cavorting grounds to stand above the ocean and eat and play and fish and don’t-you-dare-smoke, it’s a good moment to know a bit more about them.

From Los Angeles Times

In two of its recent music videos, the quartet cavorts with cows and sheep, and a pig features prominently on the cover of its fierce new album, “I Got Heaven.”

From New York Times

His black-and-white picture of Big Tex, the cowboy effigy that hovers over the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, shows a motley assortment of Texans sitting and cavorting beneath the absurd figure.

From New York Times

Related Words

• fool around
• gambol
• romp