Definitions

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

  • noun A ballroom dance in triple time with a strong accent on the first beat.
  • noun The music for this dance.
  • noun An instrumental or vocal composition in triple time.
  • noun Informal Something that presents no difficulties and can be accomplished with little effort.
  • intransitive verb To dance the waltz.
  • intransitive verb Informal To move with self-assuredness or indifference.
  • intransitive verb Informal To accomplish a task, chore, or assignment with little effort.
  • intransitive verb To dance the waltz with.
  • intransitive verb Informal To lead or force to move in a self-assured or purposeful manner; march.
  • idiom (waltz Matilda) To travel about, especially on foot, carrying a swag.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Arouud dance, probably of Bohe mian origin, which has been extraordinarily popular since the latter part of the eighteenth century.
  • noun Music for such a dance, or in its rhythm, which is triple and moderately quick.
  • To dance a waltz, or in the movement or step of a waltz.
  • To move lightly or trippingly or swiftly as in a waltz: as, the young people waltzed into the room.

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

  • noun A dance performed by two persons in circular figures with a whirling motion; also, a piece of music composed in triple measure for this kind of dance.
  • intransitive verb To dance a waltz.

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

  • noun A ballroom dance in 3/4 time.
  • noun A piece of music for this dance (or in triple time).
  • noun informal A simple task.
  • verb intransitive, transitive To dance the waltz (with).
  • verb informal To accomplish a task with little effort.
  • verb intransitive, transitive To move briskly and unhesitatingly.
  • verb transitive To move with fanfare.

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

  • verb dance a waltz
  • noun a ballroom dance in triple time with a strong accent on the first beat
  • noun music composed in triple time for waltzing
  • noun an assured victory (especially in an election)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[German Walzer, from walzen, to turn about, from Middle High German, to roll, from Old High German walzan; see wel- in Indo-European roots. Idiom, from Matilda.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

German Walzer, from walzen ("to dance"), from Old High German walzan ("to turn"), from Proto-Germanic *walt- (“to turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“to turn”).

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