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:
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
Picking one up on my walk home has become a little ritual — cold bottle, hot face, slow saunter.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2025
The 37-year-old former England scrum-half turned provider at the end of the first half, a lovely delayed pass allowing Dombrandt to saunter in for the third try.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2024
Chris Smith didn’t just saunter into his position as director of equipment operations for the Chargers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2024
After Mr. Levy explains the lab, I saunter back to a lab table, where Jace is waiting, as if I couldn’t care less that we are partners.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
Less than three minutes pass before someone whispers “There she is!” as Maple saunters into the clearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
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
Then, carrying Lil’ Stepper, he saunters onto the catwalk, his Chelsea bootsteps amplified, recalling the tap dancing that runs as a motif on his recent album, “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 27, 2022
It’s a one-man show of sorts, with George joined by a three-person backing band as he muses on corporate America and saunters through Lipton’s bluesy songbook.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 7, 2022
She plucks a strawberry and flower from one of the fruit baskets and saunters over to Amber.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
Argentina demonstrated a more ruthless edge as player-of-the-match Prisciantelli sauntered over for his second score.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
Once play restarted following Furbank's injury, Damian Penaud sauntered in for his 13th try of Bordeaux's continental campaign to pull his side back within two points.
From BBC ● May 24, 2025
And then, feeling perhaps that he had underlined his victory sufficiently, sauntered out into the empty streets.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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
She let out a grunt and charged, running right up to Bruiser, who was sauntering by.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 7, 2023
Brennin Hunt, sauntering across the stage with a dazed and confused expression, turns Paris into a self-preening cipher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2022
I stopped at last wondering which door to knock at, when a person came sauntering out of the trees and greeted me courteously.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
