saunter
Americanverb
noun
-
a leisurely pace or stroll
-
a leisurely old-time dance
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sauntersimple
-
saunterssimple
-
have saunteredperfect
-
has saunteredperfect
-
am saunteringprogressive
-
are saunteringprogressive
-
is saunteringprogressive
-
have been saunteringperfect progressive
-
has been saunteringperfect progressive
Past
-
saunteredsimple
-
had saunteredperfect
-
was saunteringprogressive
-
were saunteringprogressive
-
had been saunteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of saunter
First recorded in 1660–70; of uncertain origin
Explanation
To saunter is to stroll at a leisurely pace. The next time someone accuses you of dragging your feet and asks you to speed it up, calmly tell them that you’re perfecting your saunter. A verb of unconfirmed origin, saunter means to “walk with a leisurely gait.” As a noun, saunter describes that leisurely gait. Henry David Thoreau once said “it is a great art to saunter.” So while crossing a busy street may not be the best time to test out your sauntering abilities, feel free to practice when you're not in a hurry.
Vocabulary lists containing saunter
Touching Spirit Bear
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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"The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving
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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:
Whereas once Infantino looked set to saunter to a fourth term unopposed, he now might need to have enough numbers on his side to stay in post.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
In the morning—before my aching knee and bulging blisters relegated my saunter to a limp—a 32-mile walk around Manhattan sounded like a good way to spend the first Saturday in May.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
And while he was once among the fastest players in the majors, he now moves at a purposeful saunter rather than a sprint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025
Picking one up on my walk home has become a little ritual — cold bottle, hot face, slow saunter.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2025
Or they might saunter over to the Corner and join the crowd listening to the men with the long-distance eyes.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
In 2023’s strength of schedule rankings, Alabama was near the top at No. 3, while USC saunters far below at No. 48.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2024
Depp saunters away from the tree, in the direction of another.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 9, 2022
At the beginning of each installment, he saunters out of the darkness up to what appears to be an elaborate model mansion with drawers.
From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2022
Hovering above Westlake Park, a giant silver figure saunters in place, her hips and belly swelling and contracting as ribbons of red and black swirl up and down her body.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 3, 2022
At that minute Mango saunters into the room and heads straight for his food bowl.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Scott didn't look to be carrying the baggage of expectation when he sauntered out of the call room a little after 19:00 BST, grinning and taking in the splendour of the scenes around him.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Days before plundering Borel’s wine cellar, the two are believed to have sauntered into Huso, a Michelin-starred Tribeca restaurant that has been celebrated for its collection of bottles, according to a law-enforcement official.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
The Knicks led by as many as 52 points at one stage in the fourth quarter as they sauntered to victory thanks to a blistering 26-point cameo off the bench from Jose Alvarado.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
A relaxed Eze, wearing an Arsenal shirt and jeans, sauntered out to a rapturous reception from fans before the match against Leeds.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2025
He tipped his hat toward her and sauntered off, leaving Petty Officer Lac standing dumbfounded on the dock.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
They played surveillance footage they said showed Robinson sauntering through campus, buying and eating Chick-Fil-A and even interacting with representatives from Kirk's Turning Point USA organisation.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Sure, no one is stopping anyone from sauntering into their local grocery store dressed to the nines in faux fur and pumps.
From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2025
Once, it was found sauntering across Hazeltine Avenue, about a quarter mile from home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2023
She let out a grunt and charged, running right up to Bruiser, who was sauntering by.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 7, 2023
I look up to see one of the huge cows sauntering closer to us.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
