strut

¹ American  

[struht] / strʌt /

verb (used without object)

strutted, strutting

1. to walk with a vain, pompous bearing, as with head erect and chest thrown out, as if expecting to impress observers.

   Synonyms:

   flourish, parade

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noun

1. the act of strutting.

2. a strutting walk or gait.

idioms

1. strut one's stuff, to dress, behave, perform, etc., one's best in order to impress others; show off.

strut ² American  

[struht] / strʌt /

noun

1. any of various structural members, as in trusses, primarily intended to resist longitudinal compression.

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verb (used with object)

strutted, strutting

1. to brace or support by means of a strut or struts.

strut British  

/ strʌt /

verb

1. (intr) to walk in a pompous manner; swagger

2. (tr) to support or provide with struts

3. informal to behave or perform in a proud and confident manner; show off

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noun

1. a structural member used mainly in compression, esp as part of a framework

2. 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

• strutter
  noun
• strutting
  adjective
• struttingly
  adverb

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

strut strutted strutting

“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

Whether or not you agree, “Power Surge” makes for a dense but rewarding narrative with its cast of CEOs and filmmakers who strut across—and occasionally fall off—the stage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 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

We stood watching as he walked across the tracks, a new sort of strut in his long stride.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Clanton strutted out with three water bottles, one of which he poured on Petering.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 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

The squad emerged from the coach wearing re-released replica away shirts from the 'Entertainers' era, when the Magpies strutted into stadiums up and down the country.

From BBC ● Jan. 28, 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

I strutted to the big concrete municipal-parking building, a three-tiered structure that was the pride of the city.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

The models seemed to have genuine fun strutting through the Four Seasons Grill and it was refreshing for not being so self-serious.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

It’s a superb sequence, one in which Mr. Harington shows the depth of his talent and which all of Sydney’s earlier cynicism and strutting has made more convincing, and moving.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

“And then there’s some funny stuff too,” Dan explained, strutting around the store, with a sense of importance.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

New Yorkers can’t get enough of the strutting woodcock.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026

But he felt something like surprise at the sight of a gull strutting toward him.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

Related Words

• prance
• sashay
• stalk
• stride
• swagger