toddle

[ tod-l ]

verb (used without object)

, tod·dled, tod·dling.

1. to move with short, unsteady steps, as a young child.

noun

1. the act of toddling.
2. an unsteady gait.

toddle

/ ˈtɒdəl /

verb

1. to walk with short unsteady steps, as a child does when learning to walk
2. humorous.
   foll by off to depart
3. humorous.
   foll byround, over, etc to stroll; amble

noun

1. the act or an instance of toddling

Word History and Origins

Origin of toddle¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; to(tter) + (wa)ddle

Word History and Origins

Origin of toddle¹

C16 (Scottish and northern English): of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Each time one of my more than 25 cousins or I received a sacrament — Baptism, First Holy Eucharist, Confirmation — a sprawling, family-wide party followed, usually at an Italian restaurant with a generically benevolent, pot-bellied owner who would toddle around and ask, “How yous all likin’ the food?”

From Salon

“She had immense power, but she was perfectly happy to toddle around in the kitchen, making everyone coffee and being the grandmother,” Mirren said.

From Washington Times

“She had immense power, but she was perfectly happy to toddle around in the kitchen, making everyone coffee and being the grandmother,” Mirren said.

From Seattle Times

“Schumer is at her strongest when she insists that women aren’t distressed damsels but — as they toddle, walk and race in the highest of heels, the tightest of skirts, the sexiest, mightiest of poses — the absolute agents of their lives and desires,” Manohla Dargis wrote in her review for The New York Times.

From New York Times

In the same business park as the cafe, Abigail Grant-Williams is the director of the Tots' Clubhouse nursery, where children toddle about chasing bubbles in the sensory garden.

From BBC

Related Words

• totter
• waddle
• wobble