toddle

English

Etymology

Of unknown origin. Possibly a byform of totter.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɒdəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɑdəl/, [ˈtʰɑɾɫ̩]
  • Homophone: tottle (flapping)

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒdəl

Verb

toddle (third-person singular simple present toddles, present participle toddling, simple past and past participle toddled)

1. To walk unsteadily, as a small child does.
   • 1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 387:

     Rory would never have believed that his half-hour had been a twelvemonth, "did not the calves grown now into stots, and the new-born babes now toddling about the house, at length convince him that in his single reel he had danced for a twelvemonth and a day."

2. To walk or travel in a carefree manner.

   There he was, just toddling along.

   • 1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle:

     So off we toddled, Marjorie, Holt, and I, in a growler, — spotted the crib in less than no time, — invited ourselves in by the kitchen window — house seemed empty.

Synonyms

• totter

Derived terms

• toddlekins
• toddle off
• toddler

Translations

walk unsteadily

• Bulgarian: щапукам (štapukam), мандахерцам се (mandahercam se)
• Catalan: tentinejar (ca)
• French: chanceler (fr)
• German: watscheln (de), patschen (de) (with bare feet)
• Ido: trotetar (io)
• Italian: trotterellare (it)
• Persian: تاتی کردن (tâti kardan)
• Polish: chodzić niepewnie impf
• Russian: ковыля́ть (ru) (kovyljátʹ), идти́ шата́ясь (idtí šatájasʹ), идти́ неве́рной похо́дкой (idtí nevérnoj poxódkoj)
• Spanish: tambalearse (es)
• Tagalog: umampang, umampang-ampang
• Tamil: தத்து (tattu)
• Welsh: trotian (cy)

to walk in a carefree manner

• Bulgarian: шляя се (šljaja se), миткам (bg) (mitkam)
• German: schlendern (de), flanieren (de) (exalted), trullern (regional, coll.)
• Polish: dreptać (pl) impf, przechadzać się impf

Noun

toddle (plural toddles)

1. A carefree or aimless gait; a stroll.

Anagrams

• dolted