fox trot
1 Americannoun
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a social dance, in quadruple meter, performed by couples, characterized by various combinations of slow and quick steps.
-
a pace, as of a horse, consisting of a series of short steps, as in slackening from a trot to a walk.
verb (used without object)
Etymology
Origin of fox trot1
An Americanism dating back to 1870–75
Origin of fox-trot2
First recorded in 1915–20
Vocabulary lists containing fox-trot
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.
Some enter competitions, instructors say, but most are there simply to learn the rumba, cha-cha, tango, waltz, salsa or fox trot.
From New York Times • Jan. 23, 2023
This fox trot was an essay on enduring female friendship, with the balance of power shuttling seamlessly between the two women.
From Washington Post • Oct. 19, 2021
There followed a fox trot from John Harbison’s opera “The Great Gatsby,” perhaps the most ingratiating side of that thorny score: think new music meets big band, with the big band prevailing.
From Washington Post • Jun. 16, 2019
Taking on twisting, scenic routes in a nimble sports car with a manual transmission can feel like a masterful fox trot.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2018
For two solid weeks, every day Honey met Dearie after office hours and they practiced trotting the fox trot, stepping the one-step, and negotiating the tango and the hesitation.
From Skinner's Dress Suit by Wilson, F. Vaux (Francis Vaux)
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.
