In this weekly post, we bring more useful content from the Macmillan Dictionary to English language learners. In this series of language tips to accompany the Real Vocabulary theme we look at how you can expand your vocabulary in English by using different words and expressions instead of core vocabulary items.
This set of language tips explores the words and phrases we use to describe movement. This week’s tip looks at verbs that mean walk proudly:
swagger to walk proudly and with big confident movements:
- He pushed open the door and swaggered over to the bar.
- The lead singer swaggers around the stage as if he owns it.
strut to walk in a proud way, holding yourself very straight:
- Phyllis struts around like she owns the place.
Both swagger and strut are also nouns:
- He walks with a macho swagger.
- Her walk was the swaying strut of a runway model.
All these words are used mainly in written English. They all suggest that the person doing the swaggering or strutting thinks that they are more important than they are. Strut is also used to describe the typical way of walking of a model in a fashion show.
There are also some verbs that mean to move in a relaxed and confident way. They include sashay and waltz:
- Who does the think he is, waltzing in like that?
- She sashayed into the restaurant with a PR man at her heels.
Did you know that Macmillan Dictionary includes a full thesaurus? This page lists more ways to say ‘walk in a particular way‘.
More language tips
Browse the list under the ‘language tips‘ tag here on the blog for more useful language tips.
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