ambling 1 of 2

adjective

as in plodding

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

ambling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of amble
as in strolling
to travel by foot for exercise or pleasure the couple enjoys ambling along the many footpaths that meander through the park

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ambling
Verb
In surveillance video provided by police, two young men wearing hoodies, with their hoods up, and surgical-style face masks, are seen quickly ambling down the sidewalk. — Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026 The highway patrol’s video snippet ended with the man still holding the blades and ambling down an embankment to the highway while an officer pointed a gun at him. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026 According to a Facebook post shared by Real County Animal Rescue-Shelter, Gracie was still missing as of noon on June 22, and had last been seen ambling by a game camera west of Leakey. — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026 And his discussion of Turgenev’s The Singers, an ambling story that leads us to a singing competition in an inn, reveals a much quieter social reversal. — Literary Hub, 20 May 2026 Another good ambling adventure is the Sculpture Trail, featuring works by local artists. — Amy Thomas, Travel + Leisure, 12 May 2026 The question of true or false became a sensation in 1967 with the famous film shot by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin in the Pacific Northwest, capturing a hairy figure ambling through a Northern California wood. — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 8 May 2026 Few wallpapers can nurture a childhood love of Fauvism with so little effort, but this ambling and pastoral mural can raise your little one to appreciate the finer things in life. — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 Apr. 2026 Though there was a thrilling edge to their early work—the lightning-in-a-bottle sample drill of Polo Perks and Moh Baretta, that spine-tingling Pasto Flocco run—it’s been dulled a bit in favor of ambling minimalism. — Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 6 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambling
  1. plodding
  2. strolling
  3. loitering
  4. wandering
  5. lingering
  6. sauntering
  7. heavy-footed
  8. walking
Adjective
  • Bennie Liebenberg, a former geologist at the mine who was serving as our guide, has the plodding, slightly wide-eyed manner of someone who has spent a lot of time underground.
    — James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
  • During the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, activists from the gay community lambasted him and his institute for the plodding pace of research on the virus.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
Definition of plodding
Verb
  • In photos obtained by the Daily Mail, Martin could be seen strolling through Brentwood, Los Angeles in a fluttery white sundress.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 25 Aug. 2026
  • His routine includes strolling toward the mound and sometimes clapping his hands before taking the baseball.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of strolling
Adjective
  • Some victim advocates say human trafficking along Figueroa has escalated since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rollback of anti-loitering laws.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of loitering
Verb
  • The announcement comes after video circulated online of Knight at recent performances, including a July 25 gig at the Hollywood Bowl, wandering around the stage, turning her back to the audience, and not singing on cue.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But more recently, cell phone videos taken by audience members at Knight performances, including one from a July 25 Hollywood Bowl concert, show the singer wandering the stage, her back to the audience and seeming to miss singing cues.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of wandering
Adjective
  • No more distractions, no more lingering questions, just a baller who loves this sport and continues to level up.
    — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 31 July 2026
  • Although the treatment significantly reduced the cancer, follow-up exams showed lingering traces of the disease.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of lingering
Verb
  • The charter Girardeau sailed with was about four miles out and almost at the its trip when word of the hammerhead was radioed out — the crew decided to take a chance and sped up the coast 15 minutes to see the shark still sauntering in the sea.
    — Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Before sauntering down the stairwell to the dressing room, Stones stopped to sign autographs for fans in Inter’s pitchside hospitality suites.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of sauntering
Adjective
  • For this Nuggets lineup, the average comes out to a pedestrian 6-9, with three capable perimeter defenders to assist the heavy-footed centers, two 40% 3-point shooters to space the floor, and a surplus of play-making talent.
    — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Post struggled in his first go, thrown into the fire against the best team in the league that plays a style designed to punish heavy-footed centers.
    — Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2025
Definition of heavy-footed
Verb
  • In one video from Mailung, in Nepal’s Rasuwa region, a group of construction workers was seen walking down a mountain path before noticing giant plumes of brown debris in the distance, rapidly cascading toward them.
    — Laura Saravia, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of being whisked away by sports cars and speedboats, the pair currently rely on only their feet for transportation, walking from their prison cells along a secure, windowless pedestrian walkway to reach a courtroom for legal proceedings.
    — Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of walking

Browse Nearby Words

ambles
ambling
ambries
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambling. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All