saunter

verb

saun·​ter ˈsȯn-tər How to pronounce saunter (audio)
ˈsän-
sauntered; sauntering; saunters

intransitive verb

: to walk about in an idle or leisurely manner : stroll
sauntered slowly down the street
saunter noun
saunterer noun

Examples of saunter in a Sentence

They sauntered slowly down the street. He sauntered into the store.
Recent Examples on the Web Definitely still sore but the little pig got up, sauntering over to his rescuer. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Feb. 2024 As the event attendees sauntered around the event, eating the 17’s favorite foods, like Luke Hoyer’s chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A and Alexander Schachter’s nutella crepes, Ellen Enoch-Marx petted a pony, to pay tribute to Meadow Pollack’s love of horses. Jimena Tavel, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2024 After 20 minutes of musical praise, Pastor Chancellor Dix sauntered on stage sporting a stylish dark denim jacket, almost like a rock star making his way to the spotlight. Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 2 Feb. 2024 Christie sauntered down the runway in an avant-garde ensemble — a rubber dress worn over a blue striped corset! Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 26 Jan. 2024 She’d almost been arrested once trying to saunter through their lobbies to the sand. Joy Williams, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024 Finally, at 10:45 p.m., the evening’s host, Bob the Drag Queen, sauntered onstage in a pink Marie Antoinette-like ruffled gown. Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 14 Dec. 2023 In the video, the bear saunters up to the door and quickly makes away with the delivery bag in its mouth. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023 Snails then saunter by leisurely and consume the feces, along with the fluke eggs. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 20 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'saunter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably from Middle English santren to muse

First Known Use

circa 1667, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of saunter was circa 1667

Dictionary Entries Near saunter

Cite this Entry

“Saunter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saunter. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

saunter

verb
saun·​ter ˈsȯnt-ər How to pronounce saunter (audio)
ˈsänt-
: to walk along in an idle or leisurely manner : stroll
saunter noun
saunterer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on saunter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!