walkabout

noun walk·about \ ˈwȯ-kə-ˌbau̇t \

|Updated on: 10 Jul 2018

Definition of walkabout

1 : a short period of wandering bush life engaged in by an Australian aborigine as an occasional interruption of regular work —often used in the phrase go walkabout

the man who went walkabout was making a ritual journey
—Bruce Chatwin

2 : something (such as a journey) similar to a walkabout

3 : a walking tour; especially, British : one in which a well-known person mingles with the public

went walkabout in the streets

See walkabout defined for English-language learners

Examples of walkabout in a Sentence

Many people gathered to meet the Queen during her walkabout.

Recent Examples of walkabout from the Web

Market Street was transformed into a wine walkabout Thursday evening, June 7, as hundreds of wine enthusiasts thronged the streets in search of the perfect sip of vino.

— patricia dillon, Houston Chronicle, "Wine & Food Week: Market Street transformed into wine walkabout," 9 June 2018
Gerd Muller would pop up unmarked in the six yard box to volley home after Bonetti had, expectedly, gone walkabouts once again.

— SI.com, "On This Day: 14th June - England Succumb to West Germany in Classic Quarter Final," 14 June 2018
The packed itinerary will include opening the Mersey Gateway Bridge and the Storyhouse theater and library in the center of town, as well as a royal walkabout and a formal sit-down lunch at Chester City Council.

— katie nicholl, Vanities, "What to Expect from Meghan Markle’s Solo Outing with the Queen," 13 June 2018
In Prescott, teachers held a walkabout before classes started.

— patricia dillon, Houston Chronicle, "Wine & Food Week: Market Street transformed into wine walkabout," 9 June 2018
The queen and her granddaughter-in-law will meet local school children, watch a few moments of a theater production and participate in a brief walkabout.

— stephanie nolasco, Fox News, "Meghan Markle needs 'a steadying hand' from Queen Elizabeth to navigate royal life, source claims," 6 June 2018
If nothing else, the 24-year-old Tami, a San Diego native doing a kind of walkabout-over-water, establishes the story’s time frame.

— john anderson, WSJ, "‘Adrift’ Review: A True Story Gets Seasick," 31 May 2018
The impromptu walkabout just got us excited for even more sweet brother moments at tomorrow's wedding.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince Harry and Prince William Just Surprised Fans at Windsor Ahead of the Royal Wedding," 18 May 2018
Take a walkabout or a bike ride through Old Town and rediscover the island’s laid-back charm on this route: Head up Duval Street and take a right on Petronia through Bahama Village.

— shayne benowitz, miamiherald, "How to spend four days island-hopping in the Florida Keys | Miami Herald," 10 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of walkabout

1897

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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WALKABOUT Defined for English Language Learners

walkabout

noun

Definition of walkabout for English Language Learners

: an occasion in which an Australian Aborigine goes on a long walking journey on land that is far from towns and cities
: an occasion in which a well-known person walks through a public place to meet and talk informally to people