waltz

Everyday

1. A smooth ballroom dance for two people who turn round and round together, with three beats in each bar of music. tree →
2. A piece of music for this dance. tree →
3. (verb) To dance a waltz. tree →
4. (informal) To walk somewhere in a confident, casual way, sometimes rudely, as if nothing matters: "He waltzed in late." tree →
5. (informal) To win or do something very easily: "She waltzed through the test." tree →

In the lessons

In music lessons, a waltz is counted "ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three": it is in 3/4 time. Famous waltzes include "The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss. In stories, "waltzed in" shows a character is cheeky or too relaxed. Australians know the song "Waltzing Matilda", where "waltzing" means wandering the land with your swag (bedroll). Phrases: "waltz in", "waltz off with", "waltz through".

Examples

• My grandparents danced a waltz at their wedding anniversary. tree →
• The band played a slow waltz. tree →
• We counted the waltz: one-two-three, one-two-three. tree →
• He waltzed into class ten minutes late without saying sorry. tree →
• She waltzed through the maths test in ten minutes. tree →
• The cat waltzed off with my sandwich! tree →
• We sang "Waltzing Matilda" in our Australia topic. tree →
• The prince and Cinderella waltzed around the ballroom. tree →
• I am going to teach you to jump and bow, to dance a waltz and a polka, and even to stand on your head.” tree →

Note

Spelling: waltz has a t before the z. Plural and third person: waltzes. Regular verb: waltzed. In music maths, a waltz has 3 beats in a bar, so 4 bars have 12 beats.