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

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

Visitors to the Holly museum would amble over those specs as they arrived and departed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

We step back out into the cool night, amble back to the center and take a seat in front of the arcade at Café Iruña.

From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025

To that end, I had my obliging wife drive me to southwestern Massachusetts and drop me on the trail near Stockbridge for a three-day amble through the Berkshires.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

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