amble

American  

[am-buhl] / ˈæm bəl /

verb (used without object)

ambled, ambling

1. to go at a slow, easy pace; stroll; saunter.

   He ambled around the town.

   Synonyms:

   meander, ramble

2. (of a horse) to go at a slow pace with the legs moving in lateral pairs and usually having a four-beat rhythm.

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noun

1. an ambling gait.

2. a slow, easy walk or gentle pace.

3. a stroll.

amble British  

/ ˈæmbəl /

verb

1. to walk at a leisurely relaxed pace

2. (of a horse) to move slowly, lifting both legs on one side together

3. to ride a horse at an amble or leisurely pace

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noun

1. a leisurely motion in walking

2. a leisurely walk

3. the ambling gait of a horse

Other Word Forms

• ambler noun
• amblingly adverb

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)

Example Sentences

He ambles to it and he takes his time.

From BBC

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

With Grief bouncing at his heels, he ambled down the winding driveway, past the pair of small barns, to his father's veterinary office.

From Literature

He was known for regularly ambling by and commandeering these tour groups to show off whatever latest project he had going or demonstrate the precise and persnickety method he’d perfected for planting a tree.

From The Wall Street Journal

Or you simply want a rustic mountain getaway, one where you can amble through a woodsy little village with zero Starbucks.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• drift
• loiter
• meander
• mosey
• ramble
• sashay
• saunter
• stroll
• toddle
• wander