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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Hot to Trot: Animal Ambulation
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Stargirl
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Dachshunds strut in ‘Sausage Walk’ during Paris fashion week.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Hall was also keen to strut her stuff, saying she wanted to stay long enough to "wear all my fabulous outfits".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
“Breezy,” one of just a handful of truly catchy tunes on the set, has an easy strut that channels the twinkle of the LP “Diamonds and Pearls.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 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
Her bag was all in a strut with milk that the calf couldn’t hold.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
Emerging between fireworks, Kerr had strutted out on to the track, spinning a bottle, and allowed his 12 rivals to sprint away.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Before the game, he strutted around, at one point even grabbing Dalton Rushing, decked in full catcher’s gear, to get hyped.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
While the popular girls strutted through the halls with their effortless Pinterest-inspired updos, I was applying brown eyeshadow to my scalp to disguise the sparse spots.
From Slate ● May 23, 2026
As Bad Bunny strutted through the greenery, he passed by old men playing dominoes, women chatting in a nail salon and boxers sparring—a montage of scenes from life in Puerto Rico.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
I went back and milked out her strutted bag and she didn’t offer to kick me one time, just flinched and drew up a little when I first touched her.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
“And then there’s some funny stuff too,” Dan explained, strutting around the store, with a sense of importance.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
The school drew parents like therapist Kavita Ramani and her computer-engineer husband, who delighted at the sight of their bright first-grader strutting with joy after a day at Tessellations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
New Yorkers can’t get enough of the strutting woodcock.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026
If you can imagine the strutting Nicolas Cage and lithe Laura Dern of David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart” but with an apartment and a kid, that’s them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
They were all dressed in their finest clothing and jewelry, strutting about and feeling joyful on this celebratory night.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
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.
