gambol

[ gam-buhl ]

/ ˈgæm bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gambol ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), gam·boled, gam·bol·ing or (especially British) gam·bolled, gam·bol·ling.

to skip about, as in dancing or playing; frolic.

noun

a skipping or frisking about; frolic.

Nearby words

gambler, gamblers' fallacy, gambling, gambling house, gamboge, gambol, gambrel, gambrel roof, gambrinus, gambusia, game

Origin of gambol

1495–1505; earlier gambold, gambald, gamba(u)de, from Middle French gambade, variant of gambado²

SYNONYMS FOR gambol

1 spring, caper, frisk, romp.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gambol ON THESAURUS.COM

Can be confusedgamble gambol

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

Examples from the Web for gambol

“Gambol and I sat down and made a meal of his balls,” Juarez tells Luntz.
Pulp Fiction, With a Poet's Touch|Taylor Antrim|April 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST
If not disturbed, his fear will vanish, and he will gambol almost at your feet.
Byways Around San Francisco Bay|William E. Hutchinson
Its little kid skips about, for the time of toil has not yet come to the youngling, and it may gambol now.
A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe on Rivers and Lakes of Europe|John Macgregor
Strafe is able to gambol about much as usual, though he limps a little and is thinner for his experience.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur

She came out, stretched herself lazily, and soon began to gambol about the room.
The Rainbow Book Tales of Fun & Fancy|Mabel Henriette Spielmann
Make me your squirrel—I'll put on your chain, and gambol and play for ever at your side.
A Bold Stroke for a Husband|Hannah Cowley

British Dictionary definitions for gambol

gambol

/ (ˈɡæmbəl) /

verb -bols, -bolling or -bolled or US -bols, -boling or -boled

(intr) to skip or jump about in a playful manner; frolic

noun

a playful antic; frolic

Word Origin for gambol

C16: from French gambade; see gambado ², jamb

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 gambol (1 of 2)

gambol

"frolic, merrymaking," 1590s, originally gambolde "a leap or spring" (c.1500), from Middle French gambade (15c.), from Late Latin gamba "horse's hock or leg," from Greek kampe "a bending" (on notion of "a joint"), from PIE *kamp- "to bend" (see campus).

Word Origin and History for gambol (1 of 2)

gambol

1580s; earlier gambade (c.1500), from Middle French gambader, from gambade (see gambol (n.)). Related: Gamboled; gamboling; gambolling.

gambol

verb (used without object), gam·boled, gam·bol·ing or (especially British) gam·bolled, gam·bol·ling.

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of gambol

Examples from the Web for gambol

British Dictionary definitions for gambol

gambol

verb -bols, -bolling or -bolled or US -bols, -boling or -boled

noun

Word Origin for gambol

Word Origin and History for gambol (1 of 2)

gambol

Word Origin and History for gambol (1 of 2)

gambol