walk

verb

\ ˈwȯk

Definition of walk

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to move along on foot : advance by steps

b : to come or go easily or readily

c : to go at a walk

d : to go on foot for exercise or pleasure

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

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

4a : walk out walked over problems with management

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

c : 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

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

6 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

7a of a spirit : to move about in visible form : appear

b of a ship : to make headway

c obsolete : roam, wander

transitive verb

1a : 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

2a : 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

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

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

5a : 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

6 : to give a base on balls to

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

walk away from

1 : to give up or leave behind willingly : abandon

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

3 : to outrun or get the better of without difficulty

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 : a place designed for walking:

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

(2) : sidewalk

b : a public avenue for promenading : promenade

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

d : ropewalk

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

4 : an accustomed place of walking : haunt

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

6 : base on balls

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

8 British : a ceremonial procession

9a : a low rate of speed the shortage of raw materials slowed production to a walk

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

c : 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

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

11a : social or economic status all walks of life

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

(2) : vocation

12 : manner of living : conduct, behavior

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

The new location required travelers to walk under the roadway, via a tunnel and set of escalators, to access the shuttles. — Susan Glaser, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Hopkins will keep shuttle drop off at north end of terminal; improvements planned," 12 Sep. 2019 As Miguel Ángel Marcos adds for the newspaper Hoy, the trip to the dolmen is punishing, requiring visitors to walk for hours in the full heat of the sun. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Drought Reveals Dolmen of Guadalperal, Popularly Dubbed ‘Spanish Stonehenge’," 9 Sep. 2019 Plus, the models wore the clothes confidently, striking poses, having fun, and just generally being themselves, something that is unlike most runway shows in which models tend to walk like army people with stoic faces. — Teen Vogue, "Christopher John Rogers' NYFW Runway Debut Got a Standing Ovation," 8 Sep. 2019 Ben has Type 2 spinal muscular atrophy, which slows development in childhood, and prevents people from being able to walk. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "MDA muscle walk celebrates progress, but much work remains ahead," 7 Sep. 2019 Allen will not be attending the premiere, and none of the actors are set to walk the red carpet. — Rhonda Richford, The Hollywood Reporter, "Woody Allen Defends His Record: "I've Done Everything That the #MeToo Movement Would Love to Achieve"," 6 Sep. 2019 Users will apparently be able to use their iPhone’s camera and augmented reality to walk around looking for their misplaced items. — Mike Murphy, Quartz, "Apple’s big September event will be about a lot more than new iPhones," 6 Sep. 2019 In order to know a room, though, Sonos has previously required users to physically walk around and wave their phone’s microphones up and down. — Jeff Dunn, Ars Technica, "Sonos finally makes a portable Bluetooth speaker—meet the Sonos Move," 5 Sep. 2019 Strasberg is 3-0 against the Braves this season with a 3.93 ERA and a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.29 to 1. — Chris Wassel, USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire, "Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves odds, predictions, picks and best bets," 5 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Junior center Matt Allen is listed as co-starter with sophomore Blake Bueter, a former walk-on. — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State football O-line tired of being offense's 'scapegoat'," 28 Aug. 2019 In the bottom of the 12th inning, Marlins outfielder Harold Ramírez hit a walk-off home run to left field against closer Raisel Iglesias, handing the Reds a 4-3 loss at Marlins Park. — Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Reds rookie Aristides Aquino matches club record for homers in loss to Miami Marlins," 28 Aug. 2019 Sheckells, a Pasadena native, started his college career as a walk-on at Old Dominion, but left there in 2017 for Wesley. — Pat Stoetzer, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "College Football: McDaniel quarterback position battle heating up," 27 Aug. 2019 Braelen Bettles, safety New school: Southwestern CC (Chula Vista, Calif.) The former OSU walk-on is trying the junior college route in hopes of eventually finding a four-year program. — oregonlive.com, "Oregon State football: Where did the 2018 Beavers transfers land, and how they’re faring," 25 Aug. 2019 Houston held a one-run lead in the ninth but a walk-off, two-run homer from Baltimore's Rio Ruiz gave the Orioles the win, 8-7. — Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, "Big favorites at sportsbooks for second time in 10 days, Houston Astros let down bettors again," 22 Aug. 2019 Of the other two bedrooms on this floor, the larger has a walk-in closet. — John Ellement, Boston.com Real Estate, "Home of the Week: Farmhand quarters serve as office suite in Needham antique," 21 Aug. 2019 The room was no bigger than a walk-in closet, a tight fit for Target CEO Brian Cornell and the team of executives and support staff who were sharing it. — Fortune, "Big-Box Rebound: How Target Packaged a Turnaround," 20 Aug. 2019 Junior Daniel Young and true freshman Jordan Whittington remain active with walk-ons Jarrett Smith and Jaren Watkins vying for reps behind them. — Nick Moyle, Houston Chronicle, "After another setback, Texas RB Kirk Johnson trying to stay positive," 13 Aug. 2019

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