ambulate

am·bu·late
A1M3B3U1L1A1T1E1
UK/ˈæm.bjʊ.leɪt/US/ˈæm.bjuˌleɪt/US/ˈæm.bjəˌleɪt/

verb

To walk; to relocate oneself under the power of one's own legs.

“For patients who can ambulate, a bedpan is usually not needed.”

Similar
navigatepedestrianizeraik
OriginLatin ambulātu ← Proto-Italic *alō ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂elh₂- →
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Meanings

verbambulate (third-person singular simple present ambulates, present participle ambulating, simple past and past participle ambulated)

present singular third person ambulates · participle present ambulating · participle past ambulated · past ambulated

  1. formalintransitiveTo walk; to relocate oneself under the power of one's own legs.

    For patients who can ambulate, a bedpan is usually not needed.

    2 more examples

    Peter slowly ambulated to the bathroom, favoring his strained knee.

    I'm working in social services, but I'm also suffering from a lot of chronic pain and limitation. I can't really sit at my desk because I need to ambulate a lot.

    1990 February 4, Margy Dowzer, Mary Frances Platt, Aviva Shmuckler, “Disability And Accessibility Cost Money!”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 29, page 13

    Synonyms: navigate, pedestrianize, raik

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo walk; to relocate oneself under the power of one's own legs.

Similar
navigatepedestrianizeraik
Also see
perambulateraikscampershankslogwalk

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂m̥bʰí
  4. Proto-Italic*amβi-
  5. Latinambi-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂elh₂-
  7. Proto-Italic*alō
  8. Latin*alō
  9. Latinambulō
  10. Latinambulātu
  11. Englishambulate

From Latin ambulātus, past participle of ambulō (“to walk, go about”). Doublet of amble.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German gehen, wandeln
  • gehenwalk; relocate oneself using one's legs
  • wandelnwalk; relocate oneself using one's legs
  • umherwandelnwalk; relocate oneself using one's legs
  • umherziehenwalk; relocate oneself using one's legs
  • herumspazierenwalk; relocate oneself using one's legs
  • herumwandelnwalk; relocate oneself using one's legs
Russian передвига́ться, ходи́ть
  • передвига́ться (peredvigátʹsja)walk; relocate oneself using one's legs
  • ходи́ть (xodítʹ)walk; relocate oneself using one's legs
Spanish ambular
  • ambularwalk; relocate oneself using one's legs

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with ambulate

funambulatesomnambulate
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

ambulate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ambulate

MLA

“ambulate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ambulate. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ambulate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ambulate.

Source: ambulate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.