noun
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manner of walking or running; bearing
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(used esp of horses and dogs) the pattern of footsteps at various speeds, as the walk, trot, canter, etc, each pattern being distinguished by a particular rhythm and footfall
verb
Usage
What does gait mean? Gait means the way a person or animal walks or runs. Gait is often used in the context of horses and show dogs when analyzing how they walk, trot, and run. The human gait is studied in medicine and in sports like running. Gait can also be used as a verb meaning to teach a horse a particular gait. Example: You can tell that his gait is affected by a limp.
Etymology
Origin of gait
1500–10; Scots, Middle English spelling variant of gate 1 in various senses
Explanation
Some people have a very distinct gait, or manner of walking or running, which allows you to recognize them from far away. Walking with two legs is a pretty straightforward task, so most of us (with the exception of runners) don’t think about our own gait very often. However, when four legs are involved, the definition of gait becomes more complex. In horseback riding, gait is used to refer to the particular sequence or pattern of footsteps that the horse is using. Well-known gaits include the trot, the gallop, and the canter.
Vocabulary lists containing gait
Horsin' Around
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List 5
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Bud, Not Buddy
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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.
Gait, it turns out, is more than a means of getting from point A to point B.
From Scientific American • Nov. 5, 2022
James Murray, from Armadale in West Lothian, was driving a DAF heavy goods vehicle when it crashed a short distance west of Hermiston Gait roundabout at about 16:00 on Tuesday.
From BBC • Aug. 25, 2022
Tiffany mentioned 1990 Syracuse, which featured Gary and Paul Gait as seniors, and 2006 Virginia, which went 17-0 and remains the sport’s last undefeated champion.
From Washington Post • May 22, 2022
“It’s been a tough couple of weeks,” Gait said after a 16-15 overtime loss at home to No. 5 Cornell on Monday night.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 15, 2022
Dave Strikes His Gait After Jimmie had sold his evening papers he started for Dave's barn.
From Jimmie Moore of Bucktown by Trotter, Melvin Earnest
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.
