trot

 
Pronunciation: /trɒt/

verb (trots, trotting, trotted)

  • 1(with reference to a horse or other quadruped) proceed or cause to proceed at a pace faster than a walk, lifting each diagonal pair of legs alternately: [no object]: the horses trotted slowly through the night [with object]: he trotted his horse forward
  • 2 [no object, with adverbial of direction] (of a person) run at a moderate pace with short steps: the child trotted across to her obediently
  • informal go or walk briskly: I may trot round to Portobello market for vegetables

noun

  • 1a trotting pace: our horses slowed to a trot
  • an act or period of trotting: you might like an early morning trot round the crew deck
  • (the trots) Australian/NZ informal trotting races: she was taking me to the trots
  • 2 (the trots) informal diarrhoea.
  • 3 [with adjective] Australian/NZ informal a period of luck of a specified kind: Simpson believes his bad trot is about to end

Phrases

on the trot

informal
  • 1British in succession: they lost seven matches on the trot
  • 2continually busy: I’ve been on the trot all day

Phrasal Verbs

trot something out

informal produce the same information or account that has been produced many times before: everyone trots out the old excuse

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French trot (noun), troter (verb), from medieval Latin trottare, of Germanic origin