canter

1
[ kan-ter ]
See synonyms for canter on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an easy gallop.

verb (used with or without object)
  1. to move or ride at a canter.

Origin of canter

1
First recorded in 1745–55; short for Canterbury to ride at a pace like that of Canterbury pilgrims

Other definitions for canter (2 of 2)

canter2
[ kan-ter ]

noun
  1. a person who is much given to the use of cant.

Origin of canter

2
First recorded in 1870–75; cant1 + -er1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use canter in a sentence

  • The troopers wheeled about; another order, and they were off, their cantering hoofs thundering down the narrow street.

    St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
  • And oh, what a glorious sense of freedom when they were mounted and cantering down a cool forest trail—alone!

  • Half an hour later they had saddled their ponies and were cantering off briskly to visit the Hermit of Gold Run.

  • But the hill was over and the startled horses were cantering with a free, smooth motion.

  • And Twinkleheels soon came cantering up from the other side of the brook, where he had been feeding.

    The Tale of Pony Twinkleheels | Arthur Scott Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for canter

canter

/ (ˈkæntə) /


noun
  1. an easy three-beat gait of horses, etc, between a trot and a gallop in speed

  2. at a canter easily; without effort: he won at a canter

verb
  1. to move or cause to move at a canter

Origin of canter

1
C18: short for Canterbury trot, the supposed pace at which pilgrims rode to Canterbury

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012