A jaunt is a short trip taken for pleasure, usually on a whim or without elaborate planning. When your family takes a jaunt to the ice cream shop on a sunny afternoon, you're not embarking on a major expedition. You're just going somewhere enjoyable for a little while.

The word carries a feeling of lightness and fun. A jaunt might be a bike ride to a friend's house, a quick drive to see fall leaves, or an afternoon exploring a nearby town. It's the opposite of a long, carefully planned journey. When someone says, “We took a little jaunt down to the beach,” they're emphasizing that it was spontaneous, brief, and pleasant.

You can also use jaunt as a verb: “We jaunted over to the bookstore.” The word suggests the trip itself was almost as enjoyable as the destination. A jaunt has an easygoing, carefree quality to it, like taking a happy detour from your regular routine without worrying too much about schedules or serious planning.