gait

American  

[geyt] / geɪt /

noun

1. a manner of walking, stepping, or running.

   Synonyms:

   carriage, bearing, stride, step, walk

2. any of the manners in which a horse moves, as a walk, trot, canter, gallop, or rack.

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verb (used with object)

1. to teach a specified gait or gaits to (a horse).

gait British  

/ ɡeɪt /

noun

1. manner of walking or running; bearing

2. (used esp of horses and dogs) the pattern of footsteps at various speeds, as the walk, trot, canter, etc, each pattern being distinguished by a particular rhythm and footfall

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verb

1. (tr) to teach (a horse) a particular gait

Usage

What does gait mean? Gait means the way a person or animal walks or runs. Gait is often used in the context of horses and show dogs when analyzing how they walk, trot, and run. The human gait is studied in medicine and in sports like running. Gait can also be used as a verb meaning to teach a horse a particular gait. Example: You can tell that his gait is affected by a limp.

Etymology

Origin of gait

1500–10; Scots, Middle English spelling variant of gate ¹ in various senses

Explanation

Some people have a very distinct gait, or manner of walking or running, which allows you to recognize them from far away. Walking with two legs is a pretty straightforward task, so most of us (with the exception of runners) don’t think about our own gait very often. However, when four legs are involved, the definition of gait becomes more complex. In horseback riding, gait is used to refer to the particular sequence or pattern of footsteps that the horse is using. Well-known gaits include the trot, the gallop, and the canter.

Example Sentences

Surprisingly, this discovery about a horse’s gait sheds light on a much more modern debate—whether A.I. is on a path to consciousness.

From Slate • May 25, 2026

Participants who received the real gait retraining reported pain relief comparable to medication, and MRI scans suggested they had less knee cartilage deterioration than people in the placebo group.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

Track your gait for at least six months before you look for speed changes that you want to share with your doctor.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

The 6-foot-6 Long Beach native, with an outside hitter’s rocket arm and the gazelle-like gait, was considered the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit out of Warren High in Downey.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

More than once since arriving in America, I had followed a man in the crowd, drawn by my father’s familiar gait or the wink of sunlight across his gold-rimmed spectacles.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• bearing