Definition of waltz in English:

waltz

Translate waltz into Spanish

noun

1A dance in triple time performed by a couple, who as a pair turn rhythmically around and around as they progress around the dance floor.
‘he thought the waltz the most difficult dance to master’
- ‘She made it to the show's semi-finals with her professional dance partner, Anton Du Beke, having learnt to dance the waltz, foxtrot, samba, rumba, jive and quickstep among others.’
- ‘It is based on choreographer Julia Griffin's memories of Blackpool, in particular the Tower Ballroom, where she transforms the waltz into a modern dance, conjuring up images of a sand storm.’
- ‘In addition, most of his songs are in triple meter and in this regard, resemble popular Alpine dances, especially the waltz and landler.’
- ‘The dancefloor was full of couples, most of whom danced gracefully through the waltz, though some simply swayed together on the edges.’
- ‘We spent the rest of the waltz dancing in silence.’
- ‘The wedding pictures of almost any couple include these ritualized customs: cutting the cake and dancing the waltz.’
- ‘As he led Lucy through the waltz, they danced in silence for a few moments, until Michael finally spoke.’
- ‘She soon found out that this next dance was the waltz with Alexander as soon he came over and took her hand and led her out to the floor.’
- ‘She learned everything from who was who in the ton to how to dance the waltz.’
- ‘Anyway, when it came time to pick partners for the waltz and slow dancing parts, of course all the girls seemed to swarm the guys they wanted, while I was left to rot in the corner.’
- ‘It was somewhere between the waltz and dirty dancing.’
- ‘Johann Strauss frequently stayed in the town although Bad Ischl is best associated with the other great monarch of the waltz: Franz Lehar.’
- ‘Although she had learnt the waltz in a conservatory social dance class once, Roza had never been to a ball in her life.’
- ‘She loved dancing will also be missed in the Raftery Room for the waltz and quick step.’
- ‘The next hour is spent dancing the tango, the waltz the rumba, the cha-cha and jive.’
- ‘They waltzed to Tchaikovsky's waltzes from The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, and the Waltz from Dvorak's Serenade for Strings.’
- ‘I spun and danced until the end to the waltz, nearly forgetting there were so many other people there.’
- ‘They were caught by the king, and he made sure his poor wife would dance only a waltz or polka.’
- ‘There is a correct way to dance a waltz that is almost balletic in its strictness, but, to a large extent, in club dance anything goes and you just see where it gets you.’
- ‘Far from an image one would readily conjure up as a waltz, La Valse's sexually provocative choreography was reminiscent of Glen Tetley's lascivious Rite of Spring.’
1. 1.1A piece of music written for or in the style of a waltz.
  ‘Among his compositions are operas, marches, waltzes, and the music for the Canadian national anthem, ‘O Canada.’’
  ‘After a brief introduction, the music becomes a sensuous waltz, filled with regret.’
  ‘Schubert, who spent evenings listening to Pamer and Lanner, wrote numerous sets of waltzes for the piano, exploring its formal possibilities.’
  ‘The waltzes and Viennese pieces are also a re-recording of a similar disc with 1957 tapings.’
  ‘Vaughan Williams seemed already modal enough and was told to write a waltz, which came out modal just the same.’
  ‘One of the abiding interests in her life was music and she was an accomplished dancer who loved the traditional music, waltzes and sing-alongs at various venues around Mayo and Galway.’
  ‘Her lyrics are rich with this unresolved duality, as is her music: cabaret-style waltzes come across as both coquettish and menacing, and her slower songs can be both cavernous and hopeful.’
  ‘The bulk of the entertainment for the occasion was provided by local group, Whispers, who were a hit with their old-time waltzes and traditional music.’
  ‘Oberst's grasp of American music - country, waltzes, blues, punk, and rock - sounds as virtuosic as the Band's.’
  ‘In the first quarter of the 19th Century Antonio Diabelli, a Viennese pianist and music publisher, sent a simple waltz he had written to a number of major composers and invited them to write variations.’
  ‘Moving from ghazals to gypsy and waltz to Latin music, it hopes to bring the whole spectrum of strings and non-strings under one roof.’
  ‘The waltzes stand among my least favorite Chopin pieces.’
  ‘Poulenc ends his opera with a grand chorus, which alternates between a sultry waltz and a kick of satyr's heels, a hymn to ‘make babies!’’
  ‘The song starts as a maudlin waltz, a mandolin accented moment of regret that finds Drootin's confused character moving ‘through the town’ before the sun is up.’
  ‘A short time later another tune is begun, a waltz.’
  ‘It is a gentle, almost languid waltz, with a simple melody, and even simpler harmonies and construction.’
  ‘The music matches this lyrical depth. ‘Crown of Love’ stands out as a relatively simple waltz about fading love (at least until the song switches into a disco stomp at the end).’
  ‘I also find it an interesting example of what I call the ‘Broadway waltz,’ of the kind written by Richard Rogers and Leonard Bernstein.’
  ‘‘Wind Song’ is a beautifully compelling waltz that is one of the highlights of the CD.’
  ‘There is little doubt that the dance form of the waltz, with its heavy accent on the first beat of the bar, came about through the influence of the ländler.’

Pronunciation

waltz

/wôl(t)s/ /wɔl(t)s/

/wäl(t)s/ /wɑl(t)s/

intransitive verb

[no object]

1Dance a waltz.
‘I waltzed across the floor with the lieutenant’
- ‘About to refuse, she realized waltzing around the dance floor might have its uses after all.’
- ‘And the next instant we were on the dance floor waltzing with all the other couples.’
- ‘They were soon waltzing on the spacious dance floor, which was getting more and more crowded by the minute.’
- ‘I accepted and we waltzed together on the dance floor.’
- ‘Salsa dancing puts jiving and waltzing in the shade with ease, so you can forget your 1,2, 3, 1,2, 3 from those days of Irish dancing.’
- ‘I loved watching this bizarre spectacle as Tom Jones waltzed, danced and limbered up during his concert last night at the Sears Theatre located in the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.’
- ‘After Tanny and Nicky danced, the corps de ballet entered and waltzed.’
- ‘Somebody was dancing, waltzing round the town clock, and I thought - oh, the noise.’
- ‘The dance was, well, lovely, swirling around the floor in his arms to soft music, and it almost made her forget how hard she'd worked in Social Dance to learn to waltz.’
- ‘They waltzed to Tchaikovsky's waltzes from The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, and the Waltz from Dvorak's Serenade for Strings.’
- ‘Line dancing, waltzing and jiving classes take place in Kennedy's, Doocastle on Thursday night at 9.30 pm.’
- ‘Zack soon asked Aimee to dance and they joined the other couples who were already waltzing on the empty floor space around the piano.’
- ‘From the opening stateliness of an Imperial ball, waltzing with his wife Stephanie his face almost jumps off his head as jolts of unspeakable urges take him, her and us by surprise.’
- ‘I curtsied and he bowed, and we started waltzing to the violin music.’
- ‘Kathleen and Michael loved music and dancing and were the recipients of many trophies for waltzing and the quick step.’
- ‘At the other end of the space was an area of wood floor where couples were waltzing to slow music.’
- ‘He would dance the night away, waltzing with the other girls at the party.’
- ‘Along with any other man who lets his newly acquired wife dance with an old sweetheart four waltzes in a row.’
- ‘She proceeded to waltz him around the living room.’
- ‘The Magic of Vienna, at the NCH on May 27, is always an enchanting evening for those who like to waltz their way into the summer.’
run lightly, skip, dance, prance, waltz, bound, spring, hop, gambol, caper, frisk, scamper
1. 1.1with object Guide (someone) in or as if in a waltz.
  ‘he waltzed her around the table’
  ‘I think my feet were trying to remind me they could resolve the problem by simply waltzing me fight out of there!’
  ‘In the installation, Acconci literally pushed the envelope into billowing floes that waltzed visitors through space.’
  ‘Trying to hide my humiliation, I waltzed her over to the edge of the crowd and kept my back to them as long as I could.’
  ‘Laughing, Adam kissed her again, then picking her up in his arms, waltzed her around the room.’
  ‘Swifts responded when striker Dwayne Edward waltzed the ball round Lance Key, but defender Daniel Cunningham, making his debut, coolly shepherded the ball out under pressure.’
  ‘This does not mean that traditional businesses are waltzing their way through cyberspace.’
  ‘Gareth Marshall, on his debut, scored the Cullingworth side's first after waltzing his way past three defenders.’
  ‘She stood there for a while before waltzing her way dreamily over to Jennifer's still form.’
  ‘A tall dark waiter in a tuxedo waltzed by, an amazingly large tray laden with dishes precariously balanced above his head.’
  ‘Without realizing it, she waltzed the rest of the way to the room.’
  ‘But City had set the tempo and Jacobs waltzed his way around Antony Kay only to see Windass put the header in the TL Dallas Stand.’
  ‘My mum waltzed by my open door, came back, and then peered in at me.’
  ‘The doors to the room flew open and in waltzed a distraught looking Gabriel followed by a frazzled Zadikeil.’
  ‘She just waltzed her way up to him, in deep thought, and did not realise it at all.’
  ‘I told Dr Lillehei about it and he came down and we took all the dogs out and waltzed them around the yard.’
  ‘Now we should be able to waltz our way right up to the bridge.’
  ‘You spent all that time trying to get out, and now that you've done it you're going to waltz right back over there.’
  ‘Quickly Ravenhurst began to waltz himself and Krystle towards a door that led to the gardens.’
  ‘Torres dances his way into the penalty area, but he can't waltz his way past Jaidi, who times his tackle to perfection.’
  ‘I had half a mind to open the door to the hotel room again, pick up my bag, and waltz right back to the airport.’
2. 1.2no object Move or act lightly, casually, or inconsiderately.
  ‘you can't just waltz in and expect to make a mark’
  ‘it is the third time that he has waltzed off with the coveted award’
  ‘From a male point of view I can understand they feel they've been killing themselves all these years, and why should women waltz in and get top jobs without the same sacrifice.’
  ‘While that is a time-filler for many students, it's returned a sense of positive control to my life as I lurk for comment spammers who waltz in and mark up their unwanted remarks.’
  ‘Well, if the right has indeed ‘stolen’ freedom as their buzzword, perhaps we might ask who left the door wide open and allowed them to waltz in and take it away from under our noses?’
  ‘They would waltz in and out of my life at intervals and so I theorized that I got ‘used’ to not having any constant friends around.’
  ‘But I'm certainly not expecting just to waltz in here and take over.’
  ‘You expect to waltz in here and take our movies with no more proof of your identity than a phone number?’
  ‘Supply teachers can waltz in to school at 9am and waltz back out again at 3:30 pm with no repercussions.’
  ‘What's bothering me is how you think you can waltz in here and just take over the place.’
  ‘Unfortunately, an unsubtle ham-fisted approach is taken and subplots waltz in and out without any real relevance to the main story.’
  ‘For six months I don't get anything from you and now you just happen to literally waltz in here and surprise me like this.’
  ‘They can waltz in to a job straight from college, nobody particularly wants to train them and they can make a good living without particularly exerting themselves.’
  ‘The United States already has big bad weapons that can't be stopped and that hasn't exactly allowed given them a free ride to waltz in anywhere unopposed.’
  ‘Employees conducting routine maintenance inadvertently left the system unprotected, allowing intruders to waltz in.’
  ‘Inside the shallow part of the labyrinth if he so wanted to see his prize, but not where some Rune could waltz in and find him.’
  ‘Curious, thought the manageress, she was the last person you would expect to waltz in quite that late without so much as an excuse.’
  ‘The administration assured people that the troops would waltz in and waltz out, and that certainly wasn't the case either.’
  ‘Was the government waltzing us down the 1980s cul-de-sac again?’
  ‘Before we waltz all starry eyed into a hydrogen economy, we need to answer some very tough questions.’
  ‘You can't afford to be so oblivious, she'd scold, or you're liable to waltz right into trouble.’
  ‘You might want to hear a prettier version or be waltzed through a magical forest before I get to the point.’