amble
Americanverb (used without object)
-
ambles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ambled,
past participle, past
-
ambling
present participle
noun
-
ambles
plural
-
an ambling gait.
-
a slow, easy walk or gentle pace.
-
a stroll.
verb
-
to walk at a leisurely relaxed pace
-
(of a horse) to move slowly, lifting both legs on one side together
-
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
-
have ambledperfect
-
has ambledperfect
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am amblingprogressive
-
are amblingprogressive
-
is amblingprogressive
-
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:
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
Visitors to the Holly museum would amble over those specs as they arrived and departed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
Described as a thriving neighbourhood, Canton was rated for its selection of shops and cafes "which are well worth the amble out of town".
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2025
For the next thirty minutes Walt and Billie walk quietly around the decrepit vehicle, amble down to the Sushana River, visit the nearby woods.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara is chatting away in traditional Wassoulou clothes, while Johnny Marr ambles past in an equally traditional Mancunian parka.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
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
The Italian instruction record that plays in the background as Tom ambles about his host’s art-filled villa mirrors his ambition: “How much money do you need?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2024
Ahead of me, the crowd slows to a standstill as a Tribal caravan twenty wagons long ambles across the square.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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
The beloved children's character ambled into the world in 1926 in a book written by English author A.A.
From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026
Workers power-washed the sidewalk as Hernandez and I ambled on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
The world seemed to slow as Father Olufemi ambled across the Night Zoo’s smoldering lawns.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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
Outside the corral, a Red Angus peered in before ambling over to use a tractor for a scratching post.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2025
She was out taking down the wash from the line when she saw Wash come ambling up the road.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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