gallivant

verb gal·li·vant \ ˈga-lə-ˌvant \

variants: or less commonly galavant

Updated on: 13 May 2018

Definition of gallivant

intransitive verb

1 informal : to travel, roam, or move about for pleasure

been gallivanting all over town

2 dated, informal : to go about usually ostentatiously or indiscreetly with members of the opposite sex

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Examples of gallivant in a Sentence

They've been gallivanting all over town.
He's been gallivanting around the country when he ought to be looking for a job.

Recent Examples of gallivant from the Web

The corgis gallivanted in front of onlookers and enacted a wedding of their own, á la the upcoming nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19.

— raisa bruner, Time, "Corgis Dressed Up As a Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for a Royal Wedding of Their Own," 8 May 2018
Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart were recently in Paris for a French Riverdale convention, and while gallivanting around town, were photographed holding hands and kissing in a restaurant and on the street, Elle reports.

— emily wang, Teen Vogue, "Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart Were Spotted Kissing in Paris," 4 Apr. 2018
The video panels between the pair of star artists and the clique of kids gallivanting throughout the scene.

— michael saponara, Billboard, "Royce Da 5'9" & J. Cole Reminisce About Old Times in 'Boblo Boat' Video," 26 Mar. 2018
Lucy remembers their first couple of years at Bennington as an idyll of hot chocolate by the fireplace and dreams of gallivanting in Paris and Budapest, but Alice’s recollections are more uncertain.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "“Tangerine”: A Début Novel That Delights in Excess," 24 Mar. 2018
All photos courtesy of QPS Marine Ships If gallivanting around the world on a boat appeals to you, why not consider a really, really big boat?

— megan barber, Curbed, "Buy your own cruise ship for $55M," 14 Mar. 2018
From gallivanting with dinosaurs with Chris Pratt to fighting off aliens with Chloe Grace Moretz, Robinson is no stranger to the big screen.

— ale russian, PEOPLE.com, "Love, Simon Star Nick Robinson Says Movie Helped Him Connect with Gay Brother," 14 Mar. 2018
Eastwood’s movie chronicles Skarlatos, Stone and Sadler’s lives growing up in Sacramento, becoming young adults and gallivanting around Europe on the vacation that cast them into the spotlight.

— benjy egel, sacbee, "Train heroes’ movie “The 15:17 to Paris” opens to harsh reviews | The Sacramento Bee," 9 Feb. 2018
And each year on Halloween, Zane and Aidan, and a hundred neighbors circle his house to see all the skeletons and pumpkins that gallivant as a gargoyle rides her.

— kevin fisher-paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, "SF retains beauty despite all our decorating," 29 Jan. 2018

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

Did You Know?

Back in the 14th century, a young man of fashion (or a ladies' man) was called a gallant. By the late 1600s, gallant was being used as a verb to describe the process a paramour used to win a lady's heart; to gallant became a synonym of "to court." Etymologists think that the spelling of the verb gallant was altered to create gallivant, which originally meant "to act as a gallant" or "to go about usually ostentatiously or indiscreetly with members of the opposite sex." Nowadays, however, gallivant is more likely to describe wandering than romancing.