What does capering mean?
Capering describes the act of skipping, leaping, or dancing about in a playful, energetic way. It appears most often as a verb form — people or animals 'go capering' across fields, stages, or streets — but it can also serve as a noun referring to a single playful skip or leap. The word carries a cheerful, frolicsome connotation and is frequently applied to children at play, lambs or goats in a field, dancers, and festival crowds. Its register leans slightly literary or traditional, lending a vivid, almost storybook quality to descriptions of movement that plainer verbs like 'running' lack. The term traces back to the Latin caper, meaning 'goat,' so to caper is, in origin, to move with a goat's lively spring. Writers reach for it when they want to convey joy in motion — exuberance that is spirited but not unruly. It remains a useful word for animating scenes of celebration, childhood, and carefree energy.
A playful skip or leap; a piece of lively, frolicsome activity.
"With a joyful capering, the puppy bounded across the lawn."
Usually used in the singular or plural ('caperings') in somewhat literary contexts.
Present participle of caper: to skip, dance, or leap about playfully and energetically.
"The dancers were capering wildly to the fiddle music."
Rare; the plural noun form appears mainly in literary descriptions of repeated playful leaps.
"The lambs' merry caperings delighted the onlookers."
To caper is literally to act like a goat — the word comes straight from the Latin for 'goat,' so anyone frolicking about is, etymologically speaking, being a bit goatish.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of capering
Capering derives from the verb caper, which entered English in the late sixteenth century, probably via Dutch kaperen or directly from Old French caprer. The ultimate source is Latin caper, meaning 'goat' — an animal famed for its sudden, springy leaps. The same root gives English capriole (a leaping dressage move) and Capricorn, literally 'goat-horn.'
Related word forms
How capering is actually used
Carries a lighthearted, often affectionate connotation; it suggests exuberance rather than disorder. Commonly used of children, animals, and festive occasions. Slightly literary or old-fashioned in flavor compared with everyday words like 'playing' or 'fooling around.'
Easily confused with capering
Cantering refers to a horse's smooth three-beat running gait, while capering means playful skipping or leaping by a person or animal.