noun
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manner of walking or running; bearing
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(used esp of horses and dogs) the pattern of footsteps at various speeds, as the walk, trot, canter, etc, each pattern being distinguished by a particular rhythm and footfall
verb
Usage
What does gait mean? Gait means the way a person or animal walks or runs.Gait is often used in the context of horses and show dogs when analyzing how they walk, trot, and run. The human gait is studied in medicine and in sports like running. Gait can also be used as a verb meaning to teach a horse a particular gait.Example: You can tell that his gait is affected by a limp.
Etymology
Origin of gait
1500–10; Scots, Middle English spelling variant of gate 1 in various senses
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He could move with the grace of the tango aficionado he became or with the slow, pained gait of the cancer-ridden editor he played in “The Paper.”
From Los Angeles Times
Investigators believe someone will recognize the intruder through their clothing, gait or appearance, giving the case crucial momentum after days with few leads.
From Los Angeles Times
“Someone is going to recognize this individual. They’re going to recognize the clothes, they’ll recognize the gait and how he carries himself. I think that is going to be significant.”
From Los Angeles Times
Gone were Togbe’s limp and Grandpa Dodzi’s shuffling gait as they sliced the water with their arms and splashed it with their feet.
From Literature
To me, a Midwestern kid familiar with winter winds dragging their fangs across her face, Mary’s upright spine and sure gait set an example worth heeding.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
