amble

1 of 2

verb

am·​ble ˈam-bəl 

ambled; ambling ˈam-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

: to go at or as if at an easy gait : saunter

spent the day ambling through the park

ambler

ˈam-b(ə-)lər 

noun

amble

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: an easy gait of a horse in which the legs on the same side of the body move together

b

: rack entry 5 sense b

2

: an easy gait

3

: a leisurely walk

took a casual amble through the gardens

Synonyms

Verb

• stroll
• saunter
• wander
• walk

Noun

• stroll
• walk

Examples of amble in a Sentence

Verb

We ambled along as we talked.

They ambled down the road.

Noun

we had a lovely amble about the quaint village before continuing our drive

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The 1,000-pound animals peep their heads from the white stalls, while others amble in circles inside the barn's wooden fence. —Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 12 May 2025

There’s humor here, too, as when Ruhl learns from her glacially ambling dog and toddler the value of slowing down. —Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2025

Noun

The trail requires a fair amount of bushwhacking, steep climbs, and snaking ambles through multi-hued canyons. —Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

Neat street signs pointed to ample historical locales within an easy amble—Roman Fountain, Su Pisu Fort, Necropolis and Hypogeum Village. —Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English amblen "(of a horse) to go at an amble, go at an easy gait," borrowed from Anglo-French ambler, aumbler (in present participle amblant) (continental Old French anbler), going back to Latin ambulāre "to go on foot, walk, walk for pleasure or health, travel," from amb- "around, about" + -ulāre, probably going back to a verb base *al-, going back to Indo-European *h₂elh₂- "wander," whence also Umbrian amboltu "(s/he) must go around," Greek aláomai, alâsthai "to wander, roam," Latvian aluôt "to go astray" — more at ambient entry 1

Noun

Middle English ambel, in part borrowed from Middle French amble (going back to Old French, noun derivative of ambler "to amble entry 1"), in part noun derivative of amblen "to amble entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for amble

• bramble
• gamble
• ramble
• scramble
• preamble

Kids Definition

amble

1 of 2 verb

am·​ble ˈam-bəl 

ambled; ambling -b(ə-)liŋ 

: to go at an amble

ambler

-b(ə-)lər 

noun

amble

2 of 2 noun

1

: an easy gait of a horse in which the legs on the same side of the body move together

2

: a leisurely way of walking

Etymology

Verb

Middle English amblen "to walk in a leisurely manner," from early French ambler (same meaning), from Latin ambulare "to walk" — related to ambulance see Word History at ambulance