strut
1 Americanverb (used without object)
noun
-
the act of strutting.
-
a strutting walk or gait.
idioms
noun
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(intr) to walk in a pompous manner; swagger
-
(tr) to support or provide with struts
-
informal to behave or perform in a proud and confident manner; show off
noun
-
a structural member used mainly in compression, esp as part of a framework
-
an affected, proud, or stiff walk
Synonym Usage
Strut and swagger refer especially to carriage in walking. Strut implies swelling pride or pompousness; to strut is to walk with a stiff, pompous, seemingly affected or self-conscious gait: A turkey struts about the barnyard. Swagger implies a domineering, sometimes jaunty, superiority or challenge, and a self-important manner: to swagger down the street.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of strut1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English strouten “to protrude stiffly, swell, bluster,” Old English strūtian “to struggle,” derivative of unattested strūt (whence Middle English strut “strife”)
Origin of strut2
First recorded in 1565–75; obscurely akin to strut 1
Explanation
When you strut, you walk with a proud swagger that has a little arrogance thrown in, like the prance of a running back who has just flown past the 250-pound linebackers and planted the ball in the end zone. You can't strut and be shy about it — when you strut, you know people are watching you. The big boss in a gangster film, a model on the runway, and the rap artist whose album has just gone platinum all know how to strut. The noun form of strut has a little less flash and refers to a vertical or horizontal support that holds something up, like the long steel bars holding up a building.
Vocabulary lists containing strut
Touching Spirit Bear
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Hot to Trot: Animal Ambulation
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Stargirl
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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:
Because China's future workforce is not quite ready to strut out.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The highlight is Danceteria - a sweat-soaked strut through the nightspot where Madonna launched her career.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Each human model and their shorter android companion took turns to strut their stuff in unison on stage.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Sometimes the movement makes a point—in the final dance, paired-off chorus members happily strut between the two reluctant lovers, who haven’t yet managed to hold hands, suggesting the fragility of their union.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
The littler they are, he thought, the more they strut.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
The MacArthur “genius grant” winner sparkled with sartorial edge as he strutted across the stage in a white tuxedo shirt to discuss his book “Emperor of Gladness.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
After “Michael” finished, Patterson and other attendees strutted and twirled while the credits rolled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Mike Papantonio strutted on a raised stage, his own face a hundred times larger than life on the screen behind him.
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
When the ceremony began, Petri walked out to the song “I’ll Be There” by the Jackson 5, while Williams strutted out to “Ovunque Sarai” by Irama.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 29, 2025
He strutted around with a belligerent and tough attitude.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
“And then there’s some funny stuff too,” Dan explained, strutting around the store, with a sense of importance.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
“All day, all the time, as if they’re players fretting and strutting on some invisible stage.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
New Yorkers can’t get enough of the strutting woodcock.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026
On top of that, it’s famously set at a perfect strutting pace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
When she came strutting across the yard in her white sundress and bare feet, I don’t think I’d ever seen her look so pretty.
From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor
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.
