Goose-step

noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A style of march in which the legs advance in turn without bending the knee, whether as a low quick march or a rigorous high slow march for ceremonial occasions; the various drills associated with these marches.

    "The balance or goose-step introduced for their practice excites a fever of disgust."

  2. 2
    A deceptive step that breaks the normal flow of running and allows a player to accelerate and/or change direction quickly while simultaneously confusing the defender.
Verb
  1. 1
    To march with a goose-step.

Synonyms

All synonyms
defilefilefootsloghikemarchparade

Example

More examples

"The balance or goose-step introduced for their practice excites a fever of disgust."

Etymology

An intentionally disparaging alternative name for the "balance step" (German Stechschritt, "cut step") from a fancied resemblance to the waddling of geese.

Related phrases

goose-stepper

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.