canter
1 Americannoun
verb (used with or without object)
noun
noun
-
an easy three-beat gait of horses, etc, between a trot and a gallop in speed
-
easily; without effort
he won at a canter
verb
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has canteredperfect 3rd person singular
-
have canteredperfect
-
is canteringprogressive 3rd person singular
-
are canteringprogressive
-
canterssingular 3rd person
-
canteringparticiple
-
has been canteringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
am canteringprogressive 1st person singular
-
have been canteringperfect progressive
Past
-
had canteredperfect
-
were canteringprogressive plural
-
had been canteringperfect progressive
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canteredparticiple
-
was canteringprogressive singular
-
canteredsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of canter1
First recorded in 1745–55; short for Canterbury to ride at a pace like that of Canterbury pilgrims
Origin of canter2
Explanation
To canter is to ride a horse at a speed between a trot and a gallop. When canter is a noun, it is a ride on a horse at that pace and so you can say to a friend, "Come with us for a canter!" As a verb, canter means to ride at the pace of a canter, which is a pretty easy rate of speed. In fact, the word comes from the phrase "Canterbury gallop" because in the Middle Ages people used to travel to the cathedral in Canterbury, England to visit the tomb of St. Thomas Becket. It was so popular an activity that the pace of the horses that the pilgrims rode on became known as the "Canterbury gallop" and the phrase was so commonly used that it was eventually shortened to canter.
Vocabulary lists containing canter
Horsin' Around
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The Lightning Thief
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Hot to Trot: Animal Ambulation
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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.
In October 2025, the couple opened Canter Inn in a restored Queen Anne-style building built in 1902.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
Japan's Taiga Hasegawa took silver and Jake Canter of the USA won bronze.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
That was the sanction for England's Laurie Canter, who competed in the 2025 Players Championship after being denied PGA Tour access for the 12 months that followed his initial LIV departure.
From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026
“The rule of law cannot be carried out if it depends on cronyism,” said Virginia Canter, a former government ethics lawyer who served in the administrations of both parties.
From Salon • Nov. 19, 2025
Canter, Marshall took occasion to bring out deductions remotely germane to the pending case, but tending to broaden the scope of the Federal power.
From The United States of America, Part 1 by Sparks, Edwin Erle
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.
