trot

1 of 4

verb

ˈträt 

trotted; trotting

intransitive verb

1

: to ride, drive, or proceed at a trot

the fox trotted over the knoll

2

: to proceed briskly : hurry

transitive verb

1

: to cause to go at a trot

2

: to traverse at a trot

trot

2 of 4

noun (1)

1

a(1)

: a moderately fast gait of a quadruped (such as a horse) in which the legs move in diagonal pairs

(2)

: a jogging gait of a human that falls between a walk and a run

b

: a ride on horseback

2

trots plural : diarrhea

—used with the

3

: an old woman

4

: a literal translation of a foreign text

trot

3 of 4

noun (2)

: trotline

also : one of the short lines with hooks that are attached to a trotline at intervals

Trot

4 of 4

noun (3)

ˈträt 

: an adherent of Trotskyism : trotskyist, trotskyite

Synonyms

Verb

• dash
• gallop
• jog
• run
• scamper
• sprint
• trip

Noun (1)

• beldam
• beldame
• carline [chiefly Scottish]
• carlin
• crone
• hag
• hellcat
• witch

Examples of trot in a Sentence

Verb

A horse trotted past us.

The batter trotted around the bases after hitting a home run.

She trotted off to help.

The little boy trotted along after his mother.

Noun (1)

a gossipy old trot who never had a good word to say about anyone

ate something that gave us the trots

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

As the ball sailed into left field, Ohtani scrambled to his feet and trotted home safely. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024

But overall, Horizon comes trotting at us a little too gently. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 21 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from troter to trot, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German trottōn to tread, Old English tredan

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Noun (2)

1883, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1962, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing trot

• fox trot
• hot to trot
• jog trot
• on the trot
• trot out
• turkey trot

Kids Definition

trot

1 of 2 noun

ˈträt 

1

: a moderately fast gait of a four-footed animal (as a horse) in which a front foot and the opposite hind foot move at the same time

2

: a human jogging pace between a walk and a run

trot

2 of 2 verb

trotted; trotting

1

: to ride, drive, go, or cause to go at a trot

2

: to go along quickly : hurry