Trot Meaning
/tɹɑt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA gait of a person or animal faster than a walk but slower than a run.
nounA brisk journey or progression.
Sentence Examples
The old man set off at a quick trot.
Horses have three modes of locomotion: Walk, trot and gallop.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The horse began to ____ slowly across the grassy field after the rain.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The horse began to ____ slowly across the green field as the rider guided it toward the small wooden gate today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English trotten, from Old French trotter, troter (“to go, trot”), from Medieval Latin *trottō, *trotō (“to go”), from Frankish *trottōn (“to go, run”), from Proto-Germanic *trudōną, *trudaną, *tradjaną (“to go, step, tread”), from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂- (“to run, escape”). Cognate with Old High German trottōn (“to run”), Modern German trotten (“to trot, plod”), Gothic 𐍄𐍂𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽 (trudan, “to tread”), Old Norse troða (“to walk, tread”), Old English tredan (“to step, tread”). Doublet of trade and tread.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Waziri’s warriors marched at a rapid trot through the jungle in the direction of the village."
— 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 133:
"Dogs have a variety of gaits. Most dogs have the walk, trot, pace, and gallop."
— 2000, Margaret H. Bonham, Introduction to: Dog Agility, page 14:
"The toelt is comfortable for the rider because the amplitude of the dorsoventral displacement is lower than at the trot.[…]The slow trot is a two-beat symmetric diagonal gait. Among the normal variations of the trot of saddle horses, the speed of the gait increases from collected to extended trot."
— 2008, Kenneth W. Hinchcliff, Andris J. Kaneps, Raymond J. Geor, Equine Exercise Physiology: The Science of Exercise in the Athletic Horse, Elsevier, page 154:
"To assume the correct position for the posting trot, first walk, with the body inclined forward in a posting position. Then put the horse into a slow or sitting trot at six miles an hour. Do not post."
— 2009, Gordon Wright, George H. Morris, Learning To Ride, Hunt, And Show, page 65:
"It was to be a hugely special occasion, for apart from the picture shows at the Majestic, there was usually nothing at all going on in Sandspit to make anyone think they were on a good trot living there."
— 1994, Noel Virtue, Sandspit Crossing, page 34:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The horse began to ____ slowly across the grassy field after the rain.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The horse began to ____ slowly across the green field as the rider guided it toward the small wooden gate today.