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

That doesn’t make China a cakewalk for foreign restaurant companies. — Dee-Ann Durbin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

That doesn't make China a cakewalk for foreign restaurant companies. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026

The rotation of Michael King, Casey Mize, Walker Buehler and Robbie Ray would not be a cakewalk to navigate for Atlanta’s streaky offense. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 18 Sep. 2026

La Liga is a two-horse race, with occasional Atletico Madrid interruptions; Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga are Parisian and Bavarian cakewalks with rare exceptions. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 12 Aug. 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