canter
4
6.5
- noun
- /ˈkæntər/
- Specialized
:
galope
- The horse had a smart canter, chin down, ears pricked.
Examples
-
Duke's iron shoes clattered against the pavement in an easy canter to the head of the waiting parade.
Fiction book (1991) -
Sir Miles, what a lovely morning for a canter in the woods.
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We must have a canter together one of these days.
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A good canter would do him good.
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Now take him into a canter.
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Well, I'd say it's a horse coming up at a canter.
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I'm afraid a gentle canter in Rotten Row is all we can offer you here.
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Still murmuring in her ear, he kicked his horse into a canter toward the front of the herd.
Fiction book (2000) -
The slow ride turns into a trot, then a lope, then a canter, round and round the ring.
Fiction book (1998) -
The horse maintained a smooth, steady canter as we rode through the open fields.
Synonyms
2
6.7
A slow, relaxed run that uses long, easy steps
Antonyms
Idioms
How Fast
Surface Forms
Etymology
Canter may come from the old word cantare meaning 'to sing', because a horse's three-beat step can feel like a steady song; another idea is that it is short for Canterbury and the 'Canterbury pace' used by pilgrims. So, a canter is a smooth, rhythmic ride that is faster than a trot but slower than a gallop.