verb
noun
-
a leisurely pace or stroll
-
a leisurely old-time dance
Other Word Forms
- saunterer noun
Etymology
Origin of saunter
First recorded in 1660–70; of uncertain origin
Explanation
To saunter is to stroll at a leisurely pace. The next time someone accuses you of dragging your feet and asks you to speed it up, calmly tell them that you’re perfecting your saunter. A verb of unconfirmed origin, saunter means to “walk with a leisurely gait.” As a noun, saunter describes that leisurely gait. Henry David Thoreau once said “it is a great art to saunter.” So while crossing a busy street may not be the best time to test out your sauntering abilities, feel free to practice when you're not in a hurry.
Vocabulary lists containing saunter
Touching Spirit Bear
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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"The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Picking one up on my walk home has become a little ritual — cold bottle, hot face, slow saunter.
From Salon • Jul. 8, 2025
The 37-year-old former England scrum-half turned provider at the end of the first half, a lovely delayed pass allowing Dombrandt to saunter in for the third try.
From BBC • Dec. 14, 2024
Striding with a saunter, Russell Westbrook emerged from the Clippers’ locker room as halftime ended and crossed the Chase Center court with no one else around him.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2023
He has loved and lost, and the ladies who saunter in and out of court no longer hold the same allure.
From New York Times • Jan. 16, 2023
I’d saunter downstairs and make myself so useful Shady couldn’t possibly see fit to allow me to walk out the door, let alone to do someone else’s bidding.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
