canter
1 Americannoun
verb (used with or without object)
noun
noun
-
an easy three-beat gait of horses, etc, between a trot and a gallop in speed
-
easily; without effort
he won at a canter
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
cantersimple
-
canterssimple
-
have canteredperfect
-
has canteredperfect
-
am canteringprogressive
-
are canteringprogressive
-
is canteringprogressive
-
have been canteringperfect progressive
-
has been canteringperfect progressive
Past
-
canteredsimple
-
had canteredperfect
-
was canteringprogressive
-
were canteringprogressive
-
had been canteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of canter1
First recorded in 1745–55; short for Canterbury to ride at a pace like that of Canterbury pilgrims
Origin of canter2
Explanation
To canter is to ride a horse at a speed between a trot and a gallop. When canter is a noun, it is a ride on a horse at that pace and so you can say to a friend, "Come with us for a canter!" As a verb, canter means to ride at the pace of a canter, which is a pretty easy rate of speed. In fact, the word comes from the phrase "Canterbury gallop" because in the Middle Ages people used to travel to the cathedral in Canterbury, England to visit the tomb of St. Thomas Becket. It was so popular an activity that the pace of the horses that the pilgrims rode on became known as the "Canterbury gallop" and the phrase was so commonly used that it was eventually shortened to canter.
Vocabulary lists containing canter
Horsin' Around
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The Lightning Thief
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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:
Five-time Champions League winners Barca struggled to find their rhythm in the first half but did enough after the break to clinch a top-eight league phase finish at a canter.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
A nicely worked move sent Andrew Kellaway running through the Japan defence and he fed Flook to canter over the line.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2025
Many expected them to win the Championship at a canter.
From BBC ● May 3, 2025
Capuozzo later turned creator, thrillingly slicing through England with a scalpel-sharp change of direction to open up a route for Exeter's Ross Vintcent to canter over.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2025
Finally, after about five minutes, he slowed from a canter to a steady trot—slower, but not slow enough for me to catch up.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Ms. Rinehart, whose podcast, “The Female Body Politic,” spotlights women’s history, canters through Rankin’s career with the same drive that Rankin exhibited, batting away critics and rarely acknowledging the complexity of federal politics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
Directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer, “The Post” canters along with crisp pacing and straightforward, unfussy clarity, its two icons-playing-icons bolstered by a superb cast of supporting players.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 6, 2017
Moukandjo canters down the right flank, getting beyond M’Bengue and dribbles into the penalty area, cutting the ball back.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 28, 2017
Quentin Letts, giving four stars in The Mail, said the show "canters along with engaging verve and vim" after a "dull" opening 15 minutes.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2015
“Goodbye, Caesar,” I shout as Midnight canters away from the rising sun.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Leading the Black-and-Gold's potent attacking trio with Bouanga and Martinez, Son cantered through the center of Miami's defense all night, raucously cheered by some 76,000 fans -- the second-largest attendance in MLS history.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
The greenback sunk to a near four-year low as gold prices cantered past $5,200 a troy ounce, with haven investors continuing to look toward precious metals and the Swiss franc.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
Djokovic broke Maestrelli, who was making his Grand Slam debut, to start the second set and cantered into the third round.
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
Perhaps one thing all of a green and white persuasion could agree upon was that Roma were rampant as they cantered to a second win in Glasgow this term.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025
He cantered over to her, his head tilting to the left.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
The 21-year-old, who was previously featured at centre, full-back and fly-half, was electric once more on the wing against Exeter, cantering in for his third try in as many games.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2024
We had over 20 televisions playing the same footage of horses cantering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2024
“Youth” pairs a Bach oratorio with footage of horses cantering through the snow of a Muscovite suburb.
From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2023
You can see this in grandmaster chess players, whose heart rates triple to cantering under their shirts.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 27, 2022
Fledge glided down, spread out his four legs, closed his wings, and landed cantering.
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
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.
