canter

[ kan-ter ]

/ ˈkæn tər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for canter on Thesaurus.com

noun

an easy gallop.

verb (used with or without object)

to move or ride at a canter.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of canter

First recorded in 1745–55; short for Canterbury to ride at a pace like that of Canterbury pilgrims

Words nearby canter

can't complain, can't do anything with, canteen, canteen culture, Canteloube, canter, canterbury, Canterbury bell, Canterbury bells, Canterbury lamb, Canterbury Pilgrims

Other definitions for canter (2 of 2)

canter²

[ kan-ter ]

/ ˈkæn tər /

noun

a person who is much given to the use of cant.

Origin of canter

First recorded in 1870–75; cant¹ + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use canter in a sentence

This is where I was a little less impressed by the things Canter had to say.
Democrats’ Best Weapon for Midterms: Fear of a Red Senate|Michael Tomasky|February 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Canter says the operations in those 10 states will look like this.
Democrats’ Best Weapon for Midterms: Fear of a Red Senate|Michael Tomasky|February 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Canter acknowledges that the Democrats talk about “field” in every off-year election.
Democrats’ Best Weapon for Midterms: Fear of a Red Senate|Michael Tomasky|February 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Look also, Canter says, at what happened in Montana and North Dakota in 2012.
Democrats’ Best Weapon for Midterms: Fear of a Red Senate|Michael Tomasky|February 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“This race is going to surprise a lot of people,” says Canter.
Democrats Are on Track to Retain Control of Senate|Eleanor Clift|November 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He shook Nejdi into a canter, drew his sword, and looked keenly ahead for the first sign of those who would bar his path.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
It would have been great fun, if I had not been afraid papa would catch cold, and he said we would canter on to the inn.
The Daisy Chain|Charlotte Yonge
"But that needn't keep us from the saddle," Mollie decided, as they watched the two men canter swiftly away.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle|Laura Lee Hope
We again took a large circle, and at a good canter approached each other till we were nearly within spear's-length.
Confessions of a Thug|Philip Meadows Taylor
He readily purchased the salt, but learned, to his consternation, that the march to Burkesville was a mere preliminary canter.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various

British Dictionary definitions for canter

canter

/ (ˈkæntə) /

noun

an easy three-beat gait of horses, etc, between a trot and a gallop in speed

at a canter easily; without efforthe won at a canter

verb

to move or cause to move at a canter

Word Origin for canter

C18: short for Canterbury trot, the supposed pace at which pilgrims rode to Canterbury

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

canter

Origin of canter

Words nearby canter

Other definitions for canter (2 of 2)

Origin of canter

Words related to canter

How to use canter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for canter

Word Origin for canter