amble
Americanverb (used without object)
-
ambles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ambled,
past participle, past
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ambling
present participle
noun
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ambles
plural
-
an ambling gait.
-
a slow, easy walk or gentle pace.
-
a stroll.
verb
-
to walk at a leisurely relaxed pace
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(of a horse) to move slowly, lifting both legs on one side together
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to ride a horse at an amble or leisurely pace
noun
-
a leisurely motion in walking
-
a leisurely walk
-
the ambling gait of a horse
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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amblesimple
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amblessimple
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have ambledperfect
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has ambledperfect
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am amblingprogressive
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are amblingprogressive
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is amblingprogressive
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have been amblingperfect progressive
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has been amblingperfect progressive
Past
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ambledsimple
-
had ambledperfect
-
was amblingprogressive
-
were amblingprogressive
-
had been amblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of amble
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French ambler < Latin ambulāre to walk, equivalent to amb- ambi- + -ulāre to step ( *-el- + stem vowel -ā-; cognate with Welsh el- may go, Greek elaúnein to set in motion)
Explanation
To amble is to take a leisurely, pleasurable walk. Care to amble down a pleasant country road instead of reading the rest of this word description? That would certainly be understandable. Amble is both a noun meaning "a stroll" and a verb meaning "to walk in a slow, leisurely way." You might amble (or take an amble) over to the snack table and grab a brownie. Amble comes from the Latin ambulare, which means "to walk about," as in ambulatory. Weirdly enough, it was once only used for horses or those on horseback. We use it for people now, but it still retains some of its horse-like, country feel.
Vocabulary lists containing amble
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Walk the Walk: Amb
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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.
See Examples For:
An amble through the neighborhood showcases a variety of places, often packed with locals, tourists, cabbies and third-shift workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Their split-second choice to amble over to the former consolidated the prediction that Mexico will emerge as the winner of the highly anticipated match on June 11.
From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026
Civilian gawkers amble up the road, snapping photos with the accumulating floral tributes.
From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026
In Potterspury, near Milton Keynes, hundreds of free-range turkeys usually amble around farmer Susan Gorst, pecking at the grass.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025
I rest my hands on my knees and breathe deeply as the antique shamblers amble close enough to be a threat.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
And when Mitch leaves the building and ambles out into the New York City streets, it looks as though their number won’t happen.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026
In automatic mode, the car ambles down the boulevard, murmuring, simmering and keeping its immensity hidden from polite society.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
A painted version of her beloved cat Oliver ambles along the wall toward her.
From Seattle Times ● May 23, 2023
As he ambles in for his annual health check, Kwanmueang's size takes your breath away.
From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2023
Then she ambles to her sleeping corner and vanishes behind the curtain.
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
Matt James, the leading man on Season 25 of “The Bachelor,” ambled around with his mother in a T-shirt that read, “Raw Milk Club.”
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
As I ambled past groups doing yoga and vacationing families lounging on the grass, pain started to radiate through my ankles and up my shinbones before settling uncomfortably in my hips.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
On a recent morning, Mike, a charismatic, middle-aged chimp, ambled along the savannah floor, baobab fruit dangling by a stem from his mouth -- a snack for later -- as Sadiakhou watched.
From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026
As he ambled toward the woods, West yelled “Hey bear, get out of here bear, go!” and fired powder balls from a paintball gun at him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
Coraline ambled across the meadow toward the old tennis court, dangling and swinging the black key on its piece of string as she walked.
From "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman
But The Guardian described it, external as a "slow and ambling show" that "moved with all the urgency of the recently tranquillised".
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
This turn has directly benefited Dokoupil, who was previously ambling around the network’s morning show before getting tapped as its evening leading man.
From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2026
All over Europe this week, soccer players from the biggest clubs in the game began ambling back to work ahead of the new season.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2025
After ambling to his preferred seat in the aisle of the emergency exit row, the 6-foot-11 Walton would ask the 5-6 Lewin to sit next to him, proceeding to say nothing about himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2025
“This child,” she says to my dad, who is ambling over to us, “is an escape artist! I need four sets of eyes with her!”
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
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