To cavort means to jump around playfully and energetically, like puppies tumbling over each other in a park or kids bouncing on a trampoline. When animals or people cavort, they're moving with obvious joy and abandon, throwing themselves into the fun.

You might see dolphins cavorting in ocean waves, leaping and spinning just for fun. Children cavort through a sprinkler on a hot summer day, shrieking and splashing without a care in the world. Even adults can cavort: maybe your dad cavorted around the living room after his team won a big game.

The word carries a sense of carefree exuberance. It's not quiet or dignified movement. When you cavort, you're letting loose, playing hard, and showing everyone how happy you feel. A teacher might scold students for cavorting in the hallway when they should be walking calmly to class, but that same teacher might smile while watching those same kids cavort freely during recess.