toddle

[ tod-l ]

/ ˈtɒd l /

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verb (used without object), tod·dled, tod·dling.

to move with short, unsteady steps, as a young child.

noun

the act of toddling.

an unsteady gait.

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Origin of toddle

First recorded in 1490–1500; to(tter) + (wa)ddle

Words nearby toddle

tocsin, tod, to date, today, Todd, toddle, toddler, toddlerhood, Todd's paralysis, toddy, toddy palm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use toddle in a sentence

She watched youngsters toddle toward their futures just as her son had.
The Story of an Unsung 9/11 Hero|Michael Daly|September 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Her son was now almost two years old, and beginning to toddle about upon a pair of crooked, thin legs.
Tess of the Storm Country|Grace Miller White
Seeing Robert hesitate, he added, "I shall have a damned deal more respect for you if you toddle."
Rhoda Fleming, Complete|George Meredith
He drilled her—kept on at it; he was there twice a day; and every time she had to get out of bed and toddle across the room.
The Strand Magazine, Volume V, Issue 28, April 1893|Various

Mrs. Pryor had just completed this arrangement when a knock at the door made her toddle off to open it.
Salome|Emma Marshall
Wicked Willie they called me w'en Hi wasn't old enough to toddle halone.
The Incendiary|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy

British Dictionary definitions for toddle

toddle

/ (ˈtɒdəl) /

verb (intr)

to walk with short unsteady steps, as a child does when learning to walk

(foll by off) jocular to depart

(foll by round, over, etc) jocular to stroll; amble

noun

the act or an instance of toddling

Word Origin for toddle

C16 (Scottish and northern English): of obscure origin

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

toddle

Origin of toddle

Words nearby toddle

Words related to toddle

How to use toddle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for toddle

Word Origin for toddle