canter

[ kan-ter ]

/ ˈkæn tər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR canter ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an easy gallop.

verb (used with or without object)

to move or ride at a canter.

RELATED WORDS

lope, race, trot

Nearby words

cantata, cantatrice, canteen, canteen culture, canteloube, canter, canterbury, canterbury bell, canterbury bells, canterbury lamb, canterbury pilgrims

Origin of canter

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

Definition for canter (2 of 4)

canter

[ 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

Definition for canter (3 of 4)

cant

[ kant ]

/ kænt /

noun

a salient angle.

a sudden movement that tilts or overturns a thing.

a slanting or tilted position.

an oblique line or surface, as one formed by cutting off the corner of a square of cube.

an oblique or slanting face of anything.

Civil Engineering. bank¹(def 6).

a sudden pitch or toss.

Also called flitch. a partly trimmed log.

adjective

oblique or slanting.

verb (used with object)

to bevel; form an oblique surface upon.

to put in an oblique position; tilt; tip.

to throw with a sudden jerk.

verb (used without object)

to take or have an inclined position; tilt; turn.

Origin of cant

1325–75; Middle English: side, border < Anglo-French cant, Old French chant < a Romance base *cantu(m) with the related senses “rim, border” and “angle corner,” probably < Celtic; compare Latin cant(h)us iron tire (< Celtic), Welsh cant periphery, rim, felloe; probably not akin to Greek kanthós corner of the eye; cf. canteen, cantle, canton

Related formscant·ic, adjective

Definition for canter (4 of 4)

cant

[ kahnt ]

/ kɑnt /

adjective Scot. and North England.

hearty; merry.

Origin of cant

1250–1300; Middle English < Low German kant merry, bold

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for canter

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
You—you are not inclined for a canter round Summer Hill before breakfast?'
The Pool in the Desert|Sara Jeanette Duncan
What have you registered your own special toy, that you canter so vigorously around the world?
A Speckled Bird|Augusta J. Evans Wilson
They then put on the saddles and bridles which they had brought with them, and went off at a canter across the plains.
Redskin and Cow-Boy|G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
They give the idea, however, of great strength combined with fleetness; and the animal is observed to canter with great velocity.
Delineations of the Ox Tribe|George Vasey
Ellis set off at a canter, and Barbara's mount kept close at his heels.
The Lost Wagon|James Arthur Kjelgaard

British Dictionary definitions for canter (1 of 4)

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

British Dictionary definitions for canter (2 of 4)

cant

/ (kænt) /

noun

insincere talk, esp concerning religion or morals; pious platitudes

stock phrases that have become meaningless through repetition

specialized vocabulary of a particular group, such as thieves, journalists, or lawyers; jargon

singsong whining speech, as used by beggars

verb

(intr) to speak in or use cant

Derived Formscanter, nouncantingly, adverb

Word Origin for cant

C16: probably via Norman French canter to sing, from Latin cantāre; used disparagingly, from the 12th century, of chanting in religious services

British Dictionary definitions for canter (3 of 4)

cant

/ (kænt) /

noun

inclination from a vertical or horizontal plane; slope; slant

a sudden movement that tilts or turns something

the angle or tilt thus caused

a corner or outer angle, esp of a building

an oblique or slanting surface, edge, or line

verb (tr)

to tip, tilt, or overturn, esp with a sudden jerk

to set in an oblique position

another word for bevel (def. 1)

adjective

oblique; slanting

having flat surfaces and without curves

Derived Formscantic, adjective

Word Origin for cant

C14 (in the sense: edge, corner): perhaps from Latin canthus iron hoop round a wheel, of obscure origin

British Dictionary definitions for canter (4 of 4)

cant

/ (kɑːnt) /

adjective

Scot and Northern English dialect lusty; merry; hearty

Word Origin for cant

C14: related to Low German kant bold, merry

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

Word Origin and History for canter (1 of 4)

canter

1706, from a contraction of Canterbury gallop (1630s), "easy pace at which pilgrims ride to Canterbury" (q.v.). Related: Cantered; cantering.

Word Origin and History for canter (1 of 4)

canter

1755, from canter (v.).

Word Origin and History for canter (2 of 4)

cant

n.1

"insincere talk," 1709, earlier it was slang for "whining of beggars" (1640s), from the verb in this sense (1560s), from Old North French canter (Old French chanter) "to sing, chant," from Latin cantare, frequentative of canere "to sing" (see chant (v.)). Sense in English developed after 1680 to mean the jargon of criminals and vagabonds, thence applied contemptuously by any sect or school to the phraseology of its rival.

... Slang is universal, whilst Cant is restricted in usage to certain classes of the community: thieves, vagrom men, and -- well, their associates. ... Slang boasts a quasi-respectability denied to Cant, though Cant is frequently more enduring, its use continuing without variation of meaning for many generations. [John S. Farmer, Forewords to "Musa Pedestris," 1896]

Word Origin and History for canter (3 of 4)

cant

n.2

"slope, slant," late 14c., Scottish, "edge, brink," from Old North French cant "corner" (perhaps via Middle Low German kante or Middle Dutch kant), from Vulgar Latin *canthus, from Latin cantus "iron tire of a wheel," possibly from a Celtic word meaning "rim of wheel, edge" (cf. Welsh cant "bordering of a circle, tire, edge," Breton cant "circle"), from PIE *kam-bo- "corner, bend," from root *kemb- "to bend, turn, change" (cf. Greek kanthos "corner of the eye," Russian kutu "corner").