Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

perambulate

play
verb per·am·bu·late \ pə-ˈram-byə-ˌlāt \

Definition of perambulate

perambulated; perambulating
transitive verb
1 :to travel over or through especially on foot :traverse
2 :to make an official inspection of (a boundary) on foot
intransitive verb
:stroll
—

perambulation

play \pə-ˌram-byə-ˈlā-shən\ noun
—

perambulatory

play \pə-ˈram-byə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē\ adjective

See perambulate defined for kids

From the M-W Editors

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
alt-59c94ad823f29
'Meat Sweats': The Cookout's Worst Nightmare
alt-59c448f88ea38
Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

Examples of perambulate in a Sentence

  1. we decided to lazily perambulate the entire length of the esplanade and enjoy the fresh air

  2. long summer evenings spent perambulating up and down the tree-lined streets of the quaint village

Origin and Etymology of perambulate

Latin perambulatus, past participle of perambulare, from per- through + ambulare to walk

perambulate Synonyms

Synonyms
course, cover, cross, cut (across), follow, go, navigate, pass (over), traverse, peregrinate, proceed (along), track, transit, travel
Related Words
hike, traipse, tramp, tread, walk; ride, run; crisscross

Learn More about perambulate

  1. See words that rhyme with perambulate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for perambulate

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up perambulate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

WORD OF THE DAY

broadside

play

a strongly worded attack

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. dotage, dotard a state or period of senile decay

  2. otherwise "in other respects"

  3. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  4. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  5. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

perambulate

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

  • young-plant-shoots
  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Bee Cubed

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

alt-59c94ad823f29
'Meat Sweats': The Cookout's Worst Nightmare

They're real, but is meat the cause?

alt-59c919f342079
'Diffuse' vs. 'Defuse'

Let us defuse the situation.

alt-59c52d6ee2f72
Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

The word's origins are quite literal

alt-59c4207ecf106
Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
Bee Cubed
Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game
Examples: perambulate in a Sentence