walk

verb

\ ˈwȯk

Definition of walk

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a obsolete : roam, wander

b of a spirit : to move about in visible form : appear

c of a ship : to make headway

2a : to move along on foot : advance by steps

b : to come or go easily or readily

c : to go on foot for exercise or pleasure

d : to go at a walk

3a : to pursue a course of action or way of life : conduct oneself : behave walk warily

b : to be or act in association : continue in union the British and American peoples will … walk together side by side … in peace— Sir Winston Churchill

c : walk out walked over problems with management

4 : to go to first base as a result of a base on balls

5 of an inanimate object

a : to move in a manner that is suggestive of walking

b : to stand with an appearance suggestive of strides pylons walking across the valley

6 of an astronaut : to move about in space outside a spacecraft

7 : to avoid criminal prosecution or conviction walked on a technicality

transitive verb

1a : to pass on foot or as if on foot through, along, over, or upon : traverse, perambulate walk the streets walk a tightrope

b : to perform or accomplish by going on foot walk guard

2a : to cause (an animal) to go at a walk : take for a walk walking a dog

b(1) : to cause to move by walking walked her bicycle up the hill

(2) : to haul (something, such as an anchor) by walking round the capstan

3 : to follow on foot for the purpose of measuring, surveying, or inspecting walk a boundary

4a : to accompany on foot : walk with walked her home

b : to compel to walk (as by a command)

c : to bring to a specified condition by walking walked us off our feet

5 : to move (an object) in a manner suggestive of walking

6 : to perform (a dance) at a walking pace walk a quadrille

7 : to give a base on balls to

walk away from

1 : to outrun or get the better of without difficulty

2 : to survive (an accident) with little or no injury

3 : to give up or leave behind willingly : abandon

walk off with

1a : to steal and take away

b : to take over unexpectedly from someone else : steal sense 1d walked off with the show

2 : to win or gain especially by outdoing one's competitors without difficulty

walk on

: to take advantage of : abuse

walk on eggshells or walk on eggs

: to exercise extreme caution

walk over

: to treat contemptuously

walk the plank

1 : to walk under compulsion over the side of a ship into the sea

2 : to resign an office or position under compulsion

walk through

1 : to go through (a theatrical role, a familiar activity, etc.) perfunctorily (as in an early stage of rehearsal)

2 : to guide (someone, such as a novice) through an unfamiliar or complex procedure step-by-step

3 : to deal with or carry out perfunctorily

walk

noun

Definition of walk (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : an act or instance of going on foot especially for exercise or pleasure go for a walk

b : space walk

2 : an accustomed place of walking : haunt

3 : a place designed for walking:

a : a railed platform above the roof of a dwelling house

b(1) : a path specially arranged or paved for walking

(2) : sidewalk

c : a public avenue for promenading : promenade

d : ropewalk

4 : a place or area of land in which animals feed and exercise with minimal restraint

5 : distance to be walked a quarter mile walk from here

6 British : a ceremonial procession

7 : manner of living : conduct, behavior

8a : the gait of a biped in which the feet are lifted alternately with one foot not clear of the ground before the other touches

b : the gait of a quadruped in which there are always at least two feet on the ground specifically : a 4-beat gait of a horse in which the feet strike the ground in the sequence near hind, near fore, off hind, off fore

c : a low rate of speed the shortage of raw materials slowed production to a walk

9 : a route regularly traversed by a person in the performance of a particular activity (such as patrolling, begging, or vending)

10 : characteristic manner of walking his walk is just like his father's

11a : social or economic status all walks of life

b(1) : range or sphere of action : field, province

(2) : vocation

12 : base on balls

13 : an easy victory won in a walk

walk in the park

: an easy or pleasurable experience

Other Words from walk Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about walk

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Examples of walk in a Sentence

Verb

Is your grandson walking yet? He walks home from school every day. It's not far; you can walk there in five minutes. It was a while after the accident before she could walk again. He walked away without saying goodbye! She turned and walked away from him. The driver walked away from the accident unharmed. They walk around the neighborhood every morning for exercise. We walked around the city all day seeing the sights. He walked to the store.

Noun

The cliff walk along the ocean is very popular. Many exotic plants can be found along the walk.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Those hazards were of particular concern along the waterfront level of the viaduct because so many pedestrians walk there. — Vianna Davila, The Seattle Times, "As the Alaskan Way Viaduct comes down, so does a longtime shelter for Seattle’s homeless," 13 Jan. 2019 The pro-government Sabah newspaper on Thursday first published the images of Mutreb, showing him walking past police barricades at the consulate at 9:55 a.m. with several men trailing behind him. — Suzan Fraser, Fox News, "Man linked to Saudi prince at consulate when writer vanished," 18 Oct. 2018 The Duchess marked her first official holiday as a royal by walking to St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham along with the Cambridges, Queen Elizabeth, and Harry's many relatives. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Wore a Navy Blue Coat for Christmas Day Church Services," 25 Dec. 2018 Watch closely and enjoy as the showman sings on what appears to be a tree to the left while elephants and bears walk to the beat. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "The Greatest Showman," 12 Dec. 2018 Shawn Mendes fans aren't happy after a new video of the singer surfaced featuring him clearly anxious while trying to walk to his car, despite fans stopping him and getting pictures along the way. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "Shawn Mendes’ Fans Aren't Happy After Upsetting New Airport Video Surfaces," 25 Oct. 2018 Mounts in World of Warcraft, by contrast, feel barely different from walking. — Leif Johnson, PCWorld, "Check out this exclusive look at Guild Wars 2's jaw-dropping Infernal Leap roller beetle track," 26 Nov. 2018 Linux Power User Bundle $19 Linux is hands-down one of the most important and relied-upon operating systems in tech, and this bundle walks you through everything from its most fundamental features to its more advanced and esoteric elements. — Popular Mechanics, "10 eLearning Bundles At Steep Black Friday Discounts," 22 Nov. 2018 Lyons reportedly walked away from J.Crew with $1 million in severance, giving her the opportunity to develop her next phase in her own time. — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, "Jenna Lyons Is Returning to the Style World With a New Reality Show," 9 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

For florals, Chopra turned to BAZAAR Top Florist, Jenya Flowers, who created a clutch of tuberose, the bride's favorite flower, among other ivory blooms for her walk down the aisle. — Carrie Goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Priyanka Chopra & Nick Jonas' Wedding: Everything You Need to Know," 4 Dec. 2018 Work on the 2-mile test tunnel began last year, and earlier this month, Musk posted a time-lapse video of his walk down its length, saying that the the tunnel is still expected to open to the public on December 10th. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "The Boring Company has completed digging its first tunnel," 17 Nov. 2018 Since her walk on the dark side, Reese has primarily stuck with blonde for the past 15 years. — Macaela Mackenzie, Allure, "15 Celebrities Who Prove a Dye Job Makes a Huge Difference," 18 Oct. 2018 The pair went all out for their red carpet walk, sporting coordinating outfits and sticking close to each other's sides all night. — Andrea Park, Glamour, "Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas Just Made Their Red Carpet Debut as a Couple," 3 Oct. 2018 Take a drive, go on a walk, or get lost in an inspiring book. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Woman's Day, "30 Fun Things to Do By Yourself in Your Lifetime," 3 Jan. 2019 This morning, Clarence House posted a photo of the Prince of Wales on the walk, chatting with Prince William and Duchess Kate and Prince Harry and Duchess Meaghan. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Why Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall Missed Christmas Church Services in Sandringham This Morning," 25 Dec. 2018 Right-hander Luis Patino (2.55) struck out eight, didn’t yield a single hit and allowed only an unearned run on three walks. — Jeff Sanders, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Esteury Ruiz, TinCaps continue strong second half," 6 July 2018 Running Man Chris decides to take himself on a walk. — Melissa Locker, Time, "The Bachelorette Recap: Everybody Hates Chris," 4 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'walk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for walk

Verb

partly from Middle English walken (past welk, past participle walken), from Old English wealcan to roll, toss, journey about (past weolc, past participle wealcen) and partly from Middle English walkien (past walked, past participle walked), from Old English wealcian to roll up, muffle up; akin to Middle Dutch walken to knead, press, full