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 those lengthy wars began much like this one, with promises of a swift result, a cakewalk in the case of Iraq. — ABC News, 26 July 2026

For Ron Johnson, creating and rolling out Apple Stores — an unprecedented retail triumph on the global stage — was no cakewalk. — David Moin, Footwear News, 26 June 2026

But winning over American regulators will not be a cakewalk. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 25 June 2026

The June 23 primary has been anything but a cakewalk for Reynoso, 43. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 11 June 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