jaywalked; jaywalking; jaywalks
: to cross a street carelessly or in an illegal manner so as to be endangered by traffic
jaywalker
noun
Examples of jaywalk in a Sentence
The police officer warned us not to jaywalk.
Recent Examples on the Web
Now, apparently, jaywalking is legal, at least in New York City.
—
Deb Amlen, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Fewer than one in three arrestees were charged with any offense, and most of those were for minor infractions like jaywalking, littering, and blocking sidewalks.
—V.n. Trinh / Made By History, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025
Pedestrians who jaywalk, cross against the light and walk with their phones in their faces seem not to be concerned with their own safety.
—Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2025
The first was the unfortunate accident where a pedestrian, jaywalking, was struck by a car driven by a human and thrown into the path of a Cruise vehicle that could not stop in time.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for jaywalk
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Deb Amlen, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Fewer than one in three arrestees were charged with any offense, and most of those were for minor infractions like jaywalking, littering, and blocking sidewalks.
—V.n. Trinh / Made By History, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025
Pedestrians who jaywalk, cross against the light and walk with their phones in their faces seem not to be concerned with their own safety.
—Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2025
The first was the unfortunate accident where a pedestrian, jaywalking, was struck by a car driven by a human and thrown into the path of a Cruise vehicle that could not stop in time.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for jaywalk
Cite this Entry
“Jaywalk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jaywalk. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jaywalk
verb
jay·walk
ˈjā-ˌwȯk 
: to cross a street carelessly without paying attention to traffic regulations
jaywalker
noun
Legal Definition
jaywalk
intransitive verb
jay·walk
ˈjā-ˌwȯk
: to cross a street carelessly or in an illegal manner so as to be endangered by traffic
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