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mosey

[moh-zee]
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verb (used without object), mo·seyed, mo·sey·ing. Informal.
  1. to wander or shuffle about leisurely; stroll; saunter (often followed by along, about, etc.).
  2. to leave quickly; decamp.
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Origin of mosey

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for moseyed

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • So I took things on my own hook and went to Cottonton, where I moseyed round considerable.

    Garrison's Finish

    W. B. M. Ferguson

  • But I drawed lots with myself and moseyed over to the school-house to keep a bench warm.

  • They moseyed by the Plaza, and over to the Hussman, where they looked at apartments, which ended in Pearl taking one.

    Hookers

    Richard F. Mann

  • Raphael Poe moseyed through the streets of Moscow in an apparently aimless manner.

    The Foreign Hand Tie

    Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for moseyed

mosey

verb (intr)
  1. informal (often foll by along or on) to walk in a leisurely manner; amble
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Word Origin

C19: origin unknown
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 moseyed

mosey

v.

1829, American English slang, of unknown origin, perhaps related to British dialectal mose about "go around in a dull, stupid way." Or perhaps from Spanish vamos (see vamoose). Related: Moseyed; moseying.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper