amble
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
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an ambling gait.
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a slow, easy walk or gentle pace.
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a stroll.
verb
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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
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a leisurely motion in walking
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a leisurely walk
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the ambling gait of a horse
Other Word Forms
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.
The clerk to Amble Urban Council sent the captain of the Mauretania a message of greeting:
From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026
Amble through a shopping district bustling with wealthy tourists in San José del Cabo.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2023
Amble into replica log cabins, offices and shops with antique tools and furnishings, as if the owners just stepped away.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2022
Kerry, the watch manager at Amble fire station, was primed along with his crew of on-call firefighters to head out into the storms to assist people.
From BBC • Feb. 25, 2022
Lying out at sea, opposite Amble coastguard station, the white lighthouse on Coquet Island keeps watch over the entrance to the harbour.
From Northumberland Yesterday and To-day by Terry, Jean F. (Jean Finlay)
Definitions 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.
