toddle
Americanverb (used without object)
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toddles,
present (3rd person singular)
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toddled,
past participle, past
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toddling
present participle
noun
-
the act of toddling.
-
an unsteady gait.
verb
-
to walk with short unsteady steps, as a child does when learning to walk
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humorous (foll by off) to depart
-
humorous to stroll; amble
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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toddlesimple
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toddlessimple
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have toddledperfect
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has toddledperfect
-
am toddlingprogressive
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are toddlingprogressive
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is toddlingprogressive
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have been toddlingperfect progressive
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has been toddlingperfect progressive
Past
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toddledsimple
-
had toddledperfect
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was toddlingprogressive
-
were toddlingprogressive
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had been toddlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of toddle
Explanation
When you toddle, you wobble a bit on your legs as you walk. It's most common to see very small children toddle around. A baby who's just learned how to walk can be said to toddle, staggering a little on short legs. The littlest kids at preschool still tend to toddle around their classroom, somewhat unsteady on their feet. The verb toddle comes from a Scottish word whose origin isn't known — the earliest meaning was "to play." The noun toddler comes from toddle, and it means "child just learning to walk."
Vocabulary lists containing toddle
Endangered
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Where the Watermelons Grow
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No Vacancy
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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:
“She had immense power, but she was perfectly happy to toddle around in the kitchen, making everyone coffee and being the grandmother,” Mirren said.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2023
In the same business park as the cafe, Abigail Grant-Williams is the director of the Tots' Clubhouse nursery, where children toddle about chasing bubbles in the sensory garden.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2023
Beckham watched his son, Zydn, toddle outside an auditorium before he walked in.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2023
When she was younger, Malaya Majam-Finch would toddle into the living room of her grandparents’ quaint house in La Mirada and find, essentially, an open-air trophy case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2023
This was the kid who used to toddle over to my bed at 6 o’clock every weekend morning to pull on my blankets so I’d get up and watch cartoons with him.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
Lisa now toddles around in a summer dress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
She keeps busy taking care of Varvara, now 2, who toddles everywhere with no fear and loves British chocolate.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2023
Inevitably, you’ll find yourself stuck behind a parent whose face is buried in their phone while their little one toddles along aimlessly or another cyclist who can’t hear you over their ear buds.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 20, 2021
My youngest happily toddles alongside them, though she has no friends closer to her own age.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2020
Armelio toddles away to the dining room to set up the cards.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
On a recent morning, a 16-month-old boy toddled up a small embankment to touch wind chimes hanging from trees.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2024
My brother’s lungs were formed in West Louisville, where he toddled on plump baby legs toward all the people who loved him.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2024
And so every weekday morning, a stream of little research subjects toddled off of a school bus, into the lab.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 26, 2023
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The trade began to hit Von Miller as he toddled past the photo gallery of great moments that decorate the Denver Broncos headquarters.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 1, 2021
The badger set down the teacups and toddled out the door, glaring at Clare as she passed, then disappeared into the shimmering blue beyond.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Elsa is now just over one year old and is toddling and bright.
From BBC ● May 15, 2025
These are exactly what they sound like: reels of A.I.–rendered babies dressed in cute little costumes, with giant eyes and smiling mouths, toddling down a runway.
From Slate ● Dec. 28, 2024
The players’ kids toddling around the locker room receive the lesson as soon as possible.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2024
His power is not merely confined to his toddling whimsy or our longstanding friendship with him.
From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2024
Figuring I could count on the bases chaos to ease my escape, I stole toward the fence, Otto holding my hand and toddling beside me.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
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.
