saunter
Americanverb
noun
-
a leisurely pace or stroll
-
a leisurely old-time dance
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sauntersimple
-
saunterssimple
-
have saunteredperfect
-
has saunteredperfect
-
am saunteringprogressive
-
are saunteringprogressive
-
is saunteringprogressive
-
have been saunteringperfect progressive
-
has been saunteringperfect progressive
Past
-
saunteredsimple
-
had saunteredperfect
-
was saunteringprogressive
-
were saunteringprogressive
-
had been saunteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of saunter
First recorded in 1660–70; of uncertain origin
Explanation
To saunter is to stroll at a leisurely pace. The next time someone accuses you of dragging your feet and asks you to speed it up, calmly tell them that you’re perfecting your saunter. A verb of unconfirmed origin, saunter means to “walk with a leisurely gait.” As a noun, saunter describes that leisurely gait. Henry David Thoreau once said “it is a great art to saunter.” So while crossing a busy street may not be the best time to test out your sauntering abilities, feel free to practice when you're not in a hurry.
Vocabulary lists containing saunter
Touching Spirit Bear
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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"The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving
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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:
In the morning—before my aching knee and bulging blisters relegated my saunter to a limp—a 32-mile walk around Manhattan sounded like a good way to spend the first Saturday in May.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
And while he was once among the fastest players in the majors, he now moves at a purposeful saunter rather than a sprint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025
The 37-year-old former England scrum-half turned provider at the end of the first half, a lovely delayed pass allowing Dombrandt to saunter in for the third try.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2024
He and Jackson, who’s been waiting at the door, sniff and saunter away from each other casually though for the next day or two, they will chase each other and wrestle more than usual.
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2024
Four guys saunter in with him, and from the angry look on Angel’s face, one of them is probably Alex.
From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist
An older Black woman saunters down Western, low and slow, holding a watermelon and mango cup in one hand and her cane in the other.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026
At the beginning of each installment, he saunters out of the darkness up to what appears to be an elaborate model mansion with drawers.
From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2022
The man in the surveillance footage has a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and a straw hat shielding his face as he saunters along a Las Vegas sidewalk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2022
It’s a one-man show of sorts, with George joined by a three-person backing band as he muses on corporate America and saunters through Lipton’s bluesy songbook.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 7, 2022
He tosses another sugar cube in his mouth and saunters off.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
She sauntered on the stage with electrified green and purple hair and Vivienne Westwood-style chic to perform a cover of the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Days before plundering Borel’s wine cellar, the two are believed to have sauntered into Huso, a Michelin-starred Tribeca restaurant that has been celebrated for its collection of bottles, according to a law-enforcement official.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
They talked some more, before the group sauntered casually towards the lobby's automatic doors.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
The Knicks led by as many as 52 points at one stage in the fourth quarter as they sauntered to victory thanks to a blistering 26-point cameo off the bench from Jose Alvarado.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
When it was nearly four o’clock, a slender boy in blue jeans from the Southwest team sauntered over to Kyle, Akimi, Sierra, and Miguel, who were slumped in beanbag chairs resembling dinosaur eggs.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
They played surveillance footage they said showed Robinson sauntering through campus, buying and eating Chick-Fil-A and even interacting with representatives from Kirk's Turning Point USA organisation.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Sure, no one is stopping anyone from sauntering into their local grocery store dressed to the nines in faux fur and pumps.
From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2025
He was the only person in the stream of workers sauntering out of the house who was willing to be interviewed in English, mostly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025
She let out a grunt and charged, running right up to Bruiser, who was sauntering by.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 7, 2023
But Riccio Was already sauntering across the square, whistling.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
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.
