cavort

verb ca·vort \ kə-ˈvȯrt \

Definition of cavort

intransitive verb

1 : to leap or dance about in a lively manner

Otters cavorted in the stream.

2 : to engage in extravagant behavior

The governor has been criticized for cavorting with celebrities.

See cavort defined for English-language learners

See cavort defined for kids

Examples of cavort in a Sentence

Otters cavorted in the stream.
children cavorting on the first sunny day of spring

Recent Examples of cavort from the Web

Its Instagram feed for its men’s line, for example, which has more than 855,000 followers, is a cornucopia of F.O.M.O.-inducing shots of stylish young lovelies cavorting in exotic locales wearing cool watches.

— alex williams, New York Times, "A Watch Brand by and for Millennials," 30 Oct. 2017
Kim's John Mayer date 2010 was a strange time for Kim Kardashian, with the then-single star cavorting in lingerie with Justin Bieber, dating Halle Berry's ex Gabriel Aubry, and even hitting the town with John Mayer.

— maeve mcdermott, USA TODAY, "10 forgotten facts about the Kardashians," 25 Sep. 2017
The show’s signal work is Laura Owens’ untitled nature video, playing on a loop, where a snail stares down a locust in a garden while a caterpillar cavorts nearby.

— christopher knight, latimes.com, "At Park View gallery, a spellbinding trip into a world turned upside down," 9 Oct. 2017
Best View from the Pool Long before Coachella, Palm Springs was one of Hollywood's first local vacation destinations, attracting LA's rich and famous to cavort around private pools and clubhouses; not much has changed.

— leslie pariseau, Esquire, "The 12 Best Views in America To Drink From," 1 June 2015
Improbably, the game ended in a field-rushing, student body left, student body right, fans cavorting east, west, north and south on the turf celebration after Ohio State's 39-38 victory.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "Ohio State Buckeyes 2017 -- Barrett leads a stunning comeback to beat Penn State, 39-38: Bill Livingston (photos)," 28 Oct. 2017
The somewhat surrealistic ad features Freedia rapping as dancers cavort in a boxing ring, emphasizing LaFonta's willingness to fight for his clients.

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "Big Freedia's Juan LaFonta commercial tickles Ellen DeGeneres," 19 Oct. 2017
The event started with the veiled Merry Widows, dressed in black from head to toe, arriving and cavorting with Chief Slacabamorinico IV, the fictional character Joe Cain created and who is now officially portrayed by Wayne Dean.

— michelle matthews, AL.com, "Mardi Gras party surrounds unveiling of new marker at Joe Cain's house," 11 Oct. 2017
The trailer also gives us a glimpse at Prince Philip (Matt Smith), who is still cavorting around behind the queen’s back, untamed and free.

— rebecca keegan, HWD, "Winter, Er, Fall TV Is Coming," 10 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cavort.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.