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

But the Supreme Court may be a cakewalk compared to the challenge Cargill and his gun shop are facing from creditors in bankruptcy court. —Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 12 Jan. 2026

There aren’t many cakewalks in the NFL. —Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025

The ball was coming out of Maye’s hand oddly in a game that should have been a cakewalk against the NFL’s worst defense. —Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 23 Nov. 2025

Don’t expect a cakewalk, though. —Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for cakewalk

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