cakewalk

noun

cake·​walk ˈkāk-ˌwȯk 

1

a

: a one-sided contest : an easy victory

In states and localities across America, good times are making for reelection cakewalks.

—Douglas Foster

b

: an easy task

… it's no cakewalk to raise a family on two part-time salaries, even for a little while.

—Belinda Luscombe

2

: an African American entertainment having a cake as prize for the most accomplished steps and figures in walking

3

: a stage dance developed from walking steps and figures typically involving a high prance with backward tilt

cakewalk intransitive verb

cakewalker noun

Synonyms of cakewalk

• breeze
• picnic
• cake

Examples of cakewalk in a Sentence

She expected the election to be a cakewalk.

Reducing the state budget is not going to be a cakewalk.

Recent Examples on the Web

Becerra also has a lot more electoral experience, having won 14 elections in California (many cakewalks as a Congressman). —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026

The night transitioned into a charity cakewalk—the crowd dancing in a circle, waiting for the music to stop and a winning number to be called. —Hillary Richard, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026

What’s more, the Colts’ home game against the Texans is far from a cakewalk. —James Boyd, New York Times, 15 May 2026

Times that would make today seem like a cakewalk. —Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for cakewalk

• aftershock
• antiknock
• arawak
• hollyhock
• interlock
• manioc
• shuttlecock
• tomahawk
• weathercock
• alcock
• beanstalk
• bedrock