Meanings
present singular third person saunters · participle present sauntering · participle past sauntered · past sauntered
- intransitiveTo stroll, or walk at a leisurely pace.
One could lie under elm trees in a lawn, or saunter in meadows by the side of a stream.
1858-1880, David Masson, The Life Of John Milton: 1649-16543 more examples
She heard the door underneath unclose, and from underneath the green verandah she saw her mother saunter out.
1880, Ouida [pseudonym; Maria Louise Ramé], chapter II, in Moths […], volume I, London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, page 54Meanwhile the young ladies sauntered along—before or behind, as the case might be—in the company of the young business-man and that of another youth who had come out independently on the trolley.
1919, Henry B[lake] Fuller, “Cope at His House Party”, in Bertram Cope’s Year: A Novel, Chicago, Ill.: Ralph Fletcher Seymour, The Alderbrink Press, →OCLC, page 94And, after all, they were once very close, doesn’t Lewis still have the keys to his apartment, you know the way you let someone keep the keys after you’ve broken up, only a little because you hope the person might just saunter in, drunk or high, late some evening, […]
1986 November 24, Susan Sontag, “The Way We Live Now”, in The New Yorker
plural saunters
- A leisurely walk or stroll.
Caroline […] begged that the drive might be given up for a saunter about the gardens[…]
1814, Elizabeth Hervey, Amabel, volume 1, page 53 - A leisurely, easy pace.
walking at a saunter
- obsoleteA place for sauntering or strolling.
That wheel of fops, that saunter of the town.
1725–1728, [Edward Young], “(please specify the page)”, in Love of Fame, the Universal Passion. In Seven Characteristical Satires, 4th edition, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson […], published 1741, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
nouna leisurely walk (usually in some public place)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishsantren
- Englishsaunter
Etymology unclear. Attested in the sense “to stroll” from the 1660s; noun sense “a stroll” attested 1828. Likely from earlier term meaning “to muse”, late 15th century, from late Middle English santren, of unknown origin. Competing theories exist: * From Anglo-Norman sauntrer (mid 14th century), from Middle French s'aventurer (“to take risks”); however, this is considered unlikely by the OED. Compare Middle English aunter (“adventure”). * Of Germanic origin, with proposed cognates including German schlendern, Dutch slenteren, Danish slentre, Swedish släntra, and Icelandic slentur, all meaning “to stroll”. * From Old French sentier (“path”). In this case, santren would reflect earlier *sa(u)nteren, *senteren /sa(u̯)nˈteːrən/, /sɛnˈteːrən/, with Late Middle English stress shift and concomitant vowel reduction. Various fanciful folk etymologies have also been given.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian шляя се, разхождам се бавно
- шляя се (šljaja se)stroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- разхождам се бавно (razhoždam se bavno)stroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- разходка (razhodka)a leisurely walk or stroll
Chinese Mandarin 閒逛 /闲逛
- 閒逛 /闲逛 (xiánguàng)a leisurely walk or stroll
Czech šourat se, courat se
- šourat sestroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- courat sestroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- loudat sestroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- courání sea leisurely walk or stroll
- líná chůzea leisurely walk or stroll
- procházkaa leisurely walk or stroll
- špacíra leisurely walk or stroll
Dutch slenteren, slenteren
- slenterenstroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- slenterena leisurely walk or stroll
Esperanto vagi
- vagistroll or walk at a leisurely pace
Finnish käyskentely, käyskennellä
- käyskentelystroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- käyskennelläa leisurely walk or stroll
French flâner, flânerie
- flânerstroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- flâneriea leisurely walk or stroll
German müßig umherschlendern, bummeln
- müßig umherschlendernstroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- bummelnstroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- Umherschlenderna leisurely walk or stroll
- gemächliche Wanderunga leisurely walk or stroll
- Schlenderganga leisurely walk or stroll
Greek σουλατσάρω
- σουλατσάρω (soulatsáro)stroll or walk at a leisurely pace
Irish meallac
- meallacstroll or walk at a leisurely pace
Italian passeggiare, vagare
- passeggiarestroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- vagarestroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- camminarestroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- girovagarestroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- sollazzarestroll or walk at a leisurely pace
Japanese 徘徊
- 徘徊 (haikai)stroll or walk at a leisurely pace
Korean 한가로이 걷다
- 한가로이 걷다 (han'garoi geotda)a leisurely walk or stroll
Māori whakatīhake, hāereere
- whakatīhakestroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- hāereerestroll or walk at a leisurely pace
Norwegian slentre, spasertur
- slentrestroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- spasertura leisurely walk or stroll
Persian سیر کردن
- سیر کردن (seyr kardan)stroll or walk at a leisurely pace
Polish kroczyć, przechadzać się
- kroczyćstroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- przechadzać sięstroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- spacerowaćstroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- przechadzkaa leisurely walk or stroll
- spacera leisurely walk or stroll
Portuguese passear, passeio
- passearstroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- passeioa leisurely walk or stroll
Russian прогу́ливаться, проха́живаться
- прогу́ливаться (progúlivatʹsja)stroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- проха́живаться (proxáživatʹsja)stroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- флани́ровать (flanírovatʹ)stroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- прогу́лка (progúlka)a leisurely walk or stroll
- медленная походка (medlennaja poxodka)A leisurely pace
Spanish pasear, paseo
- pasearstroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- paseoa leisurely walk or stroll
Swedish strosa, flanera
- strosastroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- flanerastroll or walk at a leisurely pace
- släntrastroll or walk at a leisurely pace
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with saunter
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
saunter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/saunter
“saunter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/saunter. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “saunter,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/saunter.
Source: saunter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.