walk-on

noun

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
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.
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

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of walk-on was in 1902

Cite this Entry

“Walk-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/walk-on. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.

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