Meaning & use
waltzer
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Meanings
nouncountable
A fairground ride made of spinning cars that turn and tilt while loud music plays.
Grammar: Countable: one waltzer, two waltzers; the plural usually means one ride with several cars.
Patterns
- ride the waltzer
- go on the waltzers
The kids ran straight for the waltzer at the fair.
She screamed with laughter the whole time we were on the waltzer.
The waltzer was the loudest ride on the pier.
nouncountableold-fashioned
A person who dances a waltz.
Grammar: Countable; this older use is less common than the fairground sense.
Patterns
- a good waltzer
- a graceful waltzer
Her grandfather was a fine waltzer in his youth.
The pair of waltzers glided across the ballroom floor.
Word forms
| plural | waltzers |
|---|
Common combinations
- ride the waltzer
- We rode the waltzer three times before the fair closed.
- on the waltzers
- He lost his hat while he was on the waltzers.
- the waltzer at the fair
- The waltzer at the fair was packed all evening.
- spinning waltzer
- The spinning waltzer made my head go round.
Synonyms and how they differ
- carousel
- A carousel is a gentler merry-go-round with horses that go up and down, not a fast spinning ride.
- roundabout
- In British English a roundabout can be a fairground ride, but it usually turns slowly and gently.
Word family
Commonly confused: waltzer or waltz?
waltzer vs waltz
Waltz is the dance or the verb; waltzer is the ride or the dancer, so 'we danced a waltzer' is wrong.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'waltzer' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A waltzer is a fairground ride, so the funfair sentence fits. Option 0 and option 3 describe the dance, which is 'waltz', and option 2 wrongly uses 'waltzer' as a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “waltzer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.