Dictionary

waltz en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• wôlts (US)
• wälts (cot-caught-merger)
• wŏlts (UK)
• /wɔːlts/ (UK)
• /wɒlts/ (UK)
• /wɔlts/ (US)
• wôlts (UK)
• /wɑlts/ (cot-caught-merger)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From German Walzer, from walzen (“to dance”), from Old High German walzan (“to turn”), from Proto-Germanic *walt- (“to turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn”). Doublet of valse. More at *waltaną.

Meanings

1. A ballroom dance in 3/4 time.
   • Miss Esler and Mr. McMorrow went to Kalgoorlie to adjudicate at the goldfields waltz and quickstep championships, and found the standard of dancing surprisingly high. 1938 October 26, The Daily News, Perth, page 11, column 5:
2. A piece of music for this dance (or in triple time).
3. (informal) A simple task.

Forms

Deriveds

English waltz · French waltz · cross-step waltz · waltzlike · slow waltz · wedding waltz · waltz time · Viennese waltz · bridal waltz · international standard waltz

Translations (72)

oc valsa (a ballroom dance) · cmn 華爾茲 /华尔兹 (piece of music) · ja ワルツ (a ballroom dance) · hak 華爾滋 /华尔滋 (a ballroom dance) · pt valsa (a ballroom dance) · nn vals (piece of music) · vi van (a ballroom dance) · cmn 華爾滋 /华尔滋 (piece of music) · et valss (a ballroom dance) · nan-hbl oa-lù-chuh (piece of music) · da vals (a ballroom dance) · yue 圓舞曲 /圆舞曲 (piece of music) · de Walzer (a ballroom dance) · bg валс (a ballroom dance) · fr valse (a ballroom dance) · sh валцер (a ballroom dance) · nan-hbl oa-lù-chuh (a ballroom dance) · ga válsa (a ballroom dance) · mi warahi (a ballroom dance) · cmn 華爾滋 /华尔滋 (a ballroom dance) · fi valssi (a ballroom dance) · vo valt (a ballroom dance) · gv valse (a ballroom dance) · ru вальс (a ballroom dance) · tr vals (a ballroom dance) · hu keringő (a ballroom dance) · ar فَالْس (a ballroom dance) · ja 円舞曲 (a ballroom dance) · sv vals (a ballroom dance) · nn vals (a ballroom dance) · pl walc (piece of music) · fi valssi (piece of music) · it valzer (piece of music) · izh valssi (a ballroom dance) · fa والس (a ballroom dance) · da vals (piece of music) · vi van-xơ (a ballroom dance) · gl valse (piece of music) · pt valsa (piece of music) · ca vals (a ballroom dance) · nrf valse (a ballroom dance) · nan-hbl 華爾滋 /华尔滋 (piece of music) · yue 華爾茲 /华尔兹 (piece of music) · ar رَقْصَة الْفَالْس (a ballroom dance) · fi tanssi (simple task) · nb vals (a ballroom dance) · ru вальс (piece of music) · pl walc (a ballroom dance) · nan-hbl 華爾滋 /华尔滋 (a ballroom dance) · lt valsas (a ballroom dance) · hy վալս (a ballroom dance) · gl valse (a ballroom dance) · cmn 圓舞曲 /圆舞曲 (piece of music) · hu valcer (a ballroom dance) · cmn 華爾茲 /华尔兹 (a ballroom dance) · pdt Waulz (a ballroom dance) · es vals (a ballroom dance) · lv valsis (a ballroom dance) · it valzer (a ballroom dance) · fr valse (piece of music) · de Walzer (piece of music) · ko 왈츠 (a ballroom dance) · mi tengitengi (a ballroom dance) · nan-hbl 三步舞 (a ballroom dance) · gv kiaull valse (piece of music) · ca vals (piece of music) · sv vals (piece of music) · nb vals (piece of music) · yue 華爾茲 /华尔兹 (a ballroom dance) · az vals (a ballroom dance) · sh valcer (a ballroom dance) · cs valčík (a ballroom dance)

waltz en · VERB

Pronunciation

• wôlts (US)
• wälts (cot-caught-merger)
• wŏlts (UK)
• /wɔːlts/ (UK)
• /wɒlts/ (UK)
• /wɔlts/ (US)
• wôlts (UK)
• /wɑlts/ (cot-caught-merger)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From German Walzer, from walzen (“to dance”), from Old High German walzan (“to turn”), from Proto-Germanic *walt- (“to turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn”). Doublet of valse. More at *waltaną.

Meanings

1. (intransitive, transitive) To dance the waltz (with).
   • "Can you flamenco?" "If I have to. How about you?" "Love, I can barely waltz. Jive a bit if I'm pissed enough." 2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 212:
   • While waltzing her around the room, he stepped on her toes only once.
   • They waltzed for twenty-one hours and seventeen minutes straight, setting a record.
2. (intransitive, qualifier:into; around; into; around, transitive, usually, with in) To move briskly and unhesitatingly, especially in an inappropriately casual manner, or when unannounced or uninvited.
   • Oxlade-Chamberlain, 18, became the youngest English Champions League scorer when he waltzed across the area to plant a low shot into the corner. 2011 September 28, Tom Rostance, “Arsenal 2 - 1 Olympiakos”, in BBC Sport:
   • The women in Ms. Telfer’s book waltz right by societal rules that would leave the rest of us at a standstill. We are left tsk-tsking, while also in awe. 2021 February 25, Mara Altman, “Glitzy, Tragic and Selfish: Female Con Artists Waltz by Society’s Rules”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • You can't just waltz him in here without documentation!
   • He waltzed into the room like he owned the place.
3. (informal) To accomplish a task with little effort.
   • Don't worry about the interview — you'll waltz it.
4. (transitive) To move with fanfare.
   • And he said, what he had planned in his head from the start, if we got Jim out all safe, was for us to[…] take him back up home on a steamboat, in style, and pay him for his lost time, and write word ahead and get out all the niggers around, and have them waltz him into town with a torchlight procession and a brass-band, and then he would be a hero, and so would we. 1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “Chapter the last”, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade) […], London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC:

Forms

Relateds

waltzer · waltz Matilda

Synonyms

breeze through

Translations (22)

hu keringőzik (dance) · fi tanssia (accomplish with little effort) · pt valsar (dance) · fi tanssia (move briskly and unhesitatingly) · nl binnenstormen (move briskly and unhesitatingly) · fr valser (dance) · ru вальси́ровать (dance) · ga válsáil (dance) · da danse vals (dance) · hu valcerezik (dance) · gv valse (dance) · eo valsi (dance) · hy վալսել (dance) · fi valssata (dance) · fi viedä (move briskly and unhesitatingly) · fi tanssia valssia (dance) · oc valsar (dance) · hy վալս պարել (dance) · gl valsear (dance) · es valsar (dance) · el βαλσάρω (dance) · es bailar vals (dance)