1
: a slender upright object or supporting or connecting part
especially
: peduncle
2
a
: the main stem of an herbaceous plant often with its dependent parts
b
: a part of a plant (such as a petiole or stipe) that supports another
stalked; stalking; stalks
1
: to pursue by stalking
2
: to go through (an area) in search of prey or quarry
stalk the woods for deer
3
: to pursue obsessively and to the point of harassment
stalking a celebrity
Examples of stalk in a Sentence
Verb
a movie about a detective being stalked by a killer
This is the time of year when hunters are stalking the woods for deer.
She called the police because her ex-boyfriend was stalking her.
She angrily stalked out of the room.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
If these stalks are dead in their tops so are the buds.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 May 2026
Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026
The dragons stalk the island, flicking their huge tongues in hopes of picking up the scent of a deer, wild boar, or water buffalo — the latter two species introduced by humans — or rodents and other smaller reptiles, including baby Komodo dragons.
—Craig Stanford, Big Think, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stalk
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Noun
This is my Goldilocks restaurant, fancy but not too fancy, with black leather chairs on chrome stalks and light slanting in through translucent sheets of glass.
—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
If these stalks are dead in their tops so are the buds.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 May 2026
Verb
Five years earlier, in 2019, Trepanier was convicted of stalking and indecent exposure stemming from two incidents on one day in August 2018 in White Bear Lake and Vadnais Heights.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026
The dragons stalk the island, flicking their huge tongues in hopes of picking up the scent of a deer, wild boar, or water buffalo — the latter two species introduced by humans — or rodents and other smaller reptiles, including baby Komodo dragons.
—Craig Stanford, Big Think, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stalk
Cite this Entry
“Stalk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalk. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stalk
2 of 3 verb1
a
: to hunt slowly and quietly
stalk deer
b
: to go through (an area) in search of prey
stalk the woods for deer
2
: to walk in a stiff or proud manner
stalked out of the room
3
: to pursue obsessively and to the point of harassment
stalker
noun
stalk
3 of 3 noun1
: the act of stalking
2
: a stalking manner of walking
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