1
a
: a one-sided contest : an easy victory
In states and localities across America, good times are making for reelection cakewalks.—
Douglas Foster
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
Belinda Luscombe2
: 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
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
There are no real cakewalks in March and – as Thursday proved – upsets are always on the cards.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
With my first lift out of the way, and having at least one good snatch on the board, the rest of the session felt like a cakewalk.
—Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026
The Avalanche will likely get a cakewalk in the opening round (unless Winnipeg pulls off the improbable), but will then have an absolute battle in the second round against another top-five team.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Inspired by Sousa marches and postbellum dances like the cakewalk, ragtime took off in the 1890s and defined the sound of its era.
—Aly Eleanor, Pitchfork, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cakewalk
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Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
With my first lift out of the way, and having at least one good snatch on the board, the rest of the session felt like a cakewalk.
—Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026
The Avalanche will likely get a cakewalk in the opening round (unless Winnipeg pulls off the improbable), but will then have an absolute battle in the second round against another top-five team.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Inspired by Sousa marches and postbellum dances like the cakewalk, ragtime took off in the 1890s and defined the sound of its era.
—Aly Eleanor, Pitchfork, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cakewalk
Cite this Entry
“Cakewalk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cakewalk. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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