jaunt
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
- jauntingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of jaunt
First recorded in 1560–70; origin uncertain
Explanation
Running out to get pizza to bring back before the big game? This short, quick, pleasurable trip could be called a jaunt (unless of course, you get your pizza from Italy, that’s called “time to get a closer pizza place”). Jaunt was used in the 17th century to describe a journey on a horse just long enough to tire the horse out. Nebraska has what they call a Junk Jaunt, which is a yard sale that includes up to 40 towns and stretches nearly 300 miles and draws up to 20,000 people. That’s more than enough to make any horse tired, but they call it a jaunt nevertheless.
Vocabulary lists containing jaunt
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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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.
The astronauts on the International Space Station receive a dose of around 240 to 480 X-rays on a six-month jaunt up in the exosphere.
From Slate • Mar. 1, 2026
A spontaneous jaunt like that is probably something he wouldn’t have done years ago, but “after a lifetime of being a conscientious spender and saver, it felt deserved,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026
As unlikely as the tour seemed on paper, Blur's penchant for storytelling about everyday British life - punctuated by some bouncy guitar-driven pop melodies - made them a perfect fit for a quintessential seaside jaunt.
From BBC • Sep. 20, 2025
We started our jaunt on the Wendy Trail in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa, which is national parkland in the Santa Monica Mountains where Chumash people lived for thousands of years.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2025
Marlie came next, smiling occasionally at Allun, who was swinging along beside her, whistling and singing as if he was on a country jaunt.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
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.
