1
: a minor part (as in a dramatic production)
also
: an actor having such a part
2
: a college athlete who tries out for an athletic team without having been recruited or offered a scholarship
Examples of walk-on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Freeman has backed freshman Erik Schmidt and walk-on Marcello Diomede, although the staff’s actions hardly support the confidence.
—
Pete Sampson, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Chad Powers was inspired by the real-life events of Eli going undercover at Penn State to try out as a walk-on quarterback during a 2022 episode of Eli's Places.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
Just as Ted Lasso began life as a promo for NBC’s English Premier League coverage, Chad Powers crawled out of a gag on Eli’s Places, Eli Manning’s post-retirement ESPN+ program, in which the former Giants quarterback hides under prosthetics to pose as an aspiring Penn State walk-on.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Starting center Kilian O’Connor, a former walk-on, appeared to injure his left knee on a play halfway through the second quarter but was able to walk off the field with assistance from athletic trainers.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for walk-on
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Pete Sampson, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Chad Powers was inspired by the real-life events of Eli going undercover at Penn State to try out as a walk-on quarterback during a 2022 episode of Eli's Places.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
Just as Ted Lasso began life as a promo for NBC’s English Premier League coverage, Chad Powers crawled out of a gag on Eli’s Places, Eli Manning’s post-retirement ESPN+ program, in which the former Giants quarterback hides under prosthetics to pose as an aspiring Penn State walk-on.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Starting center Kilian O’Connor, a former walk-on, appeared to injure his left knee on a play halfway through the second quarter but was able to walk off the field with assistance from athletic trainers.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for walk-on
Cite this Entry
“Walk-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/walk-on. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share