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

Jozelene Beckmann, who lives in Belém, home of the state park where the squirrel monkey died, says that monkeys used to cavort along her rooftop and slip inside her home.

— sam kean, Science | AAAS, "When will yellow fever strike Brazil again? Monkeys and mosquitoes hold clues," 17 Aug. 2017
The alt-right — not those prone to cavorting in sheets or goose-stepping, but the kind of people who view Breitbart News as their daily bread and mobilized for Trump’s presidential candidacy — has reciprocated this embrace avidly.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Don’t Look Now, But Alt-Right Demonstrations Are Scheduled for Nine Cities Next Weekend," 14 Aug. 2017
For context, that third one also just moved to Amsterdam after the couple spent nine months cavorting through Southeast Asia together.

— andrea bartz, Redbook, "Why I Stopped Waiting for a Partner & Started Traveling the World," 10 Aug. 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, vanityfair.com, "Winter, Er, Fall TV Is Coming," 10 Aug. 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
Watching killer whales cavort, leap and swim has long been the hallmark of a visit to SeaWorld, but now the San Diego park is taking visitors right into the water with the huge cetaceans — virtually.

— lori weisberg, latimes.com, "SeaWorld's new virtual reality show gets up close with killer whales," 20 July 2017
Children cavorted in a bounce house, a colorful sign of families restored.

— arelis r. hernández, Washington Post, "Opioid crisis: In Maryland, a house of recovery and reckoning," 5 July 2017
Prosecutors showed photos of Ali and Williams cavorting beachside in T-shirts and floral-print swim trunks during a 2012 trip to the Caribbean, and played videos of the two parasailing together over crystal-blue waters.

— jeremy roebuck, Philly.com, "At Philly DA Seth Williams' trial, benefactor testifies 'it's good to know someone in power'," 22 June 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.