Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A professional dancer, especially a tap dancer.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Show business slang a professional dancer, especially a tap dancer.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun US, slang A professional dancer, particularly one who has paid his or her dues

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a professional dancer

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

hoof +‎ -er

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word hoofer.

Examples

  • It riffs on some other fundamental parts of the tap dance tradition, including the familiar shaven haircut and what's known as a hoofer's line.

    Concerto in Rhythm with Tap-Dance Revival 2007

  • The one on the left is a "hoofer" (Points = 5) and the other is a "razorback" (Points =

    Kruse Kronicle 2008

  • When the youngest son (Johnnie Ray) decides to become a priest, his father (a long-time vaudevillian and hoofer) reacts as negatively as some men do upon learning that their son is gay.

    George Heymont: Can't Stop the Music George Heymont 2012

  • So I can vouch for his genial generosity, wise humanity, and the glint in his eye with which he would, with reasonable content, have surveyed Wales's sometimes fetching performance in last month's World Cup, although the old hoofer would have snorted at their pathetic goal-kicking.

    Tons of reasons to support the monarchs of sport | Frank Keating 2011

  • All the showbiz cliches about the unknown plucked from the chorus to become an overnight sensation are here in the tale of small-town hoofer Peggy Sawyer, who arrives on Broadway with stars in her eyes and gets a lucky break that changes her life.

    This week's new theatre and dance 2011

  • It is said hoofer Fred Astaire threw his new custom made fine cut English suits against the wall repeatedly to "knock the newness out of them".

    Roger Stone: StoneZone's 2011 Best and Worst Dressed Roger Stone 2012

  • You're light on your feet for a hoofer, Twinkletoes.

    The Legion of American Watchers Hal Duncan 2010

  • Strapping, handsome, lithe, with a killer smile, he's an actor who shows great range here, whether embodying the regret of a man whose life has disintegrated before his eyes or transforming into the loose-limbed hoofer that Valentin can be.

    Marshall Fine: Movie review: The Artist Marshall Fine 2011

  • You're light on your feet for a hoofer, Twinkletoes.

    Archive 2010-01-01 Hal Duncan 2010

  • It is said hoofer Fred Astaire threw his new custom made fine cut English suits against the wall repeatedly to "knock the newness out of them".

    Roger Stone: StoneZone's 2011 Best and Worst Dressed Roger Stone 2012

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • dancer

    February 3, 2007