walkabout

noun

walk·about | \ ˈwȯ-kə-ˌbau̇t

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

Examples of walkabout in a Sentence

Many people gathered to meet the Queen during her walkabout.

Recent Examples on the Web

For the walkabout, Kate wore a red Carolina Herrera coatdress and ankle boots from LK Bennett—a sharp look that fits well within Kate's usual fashion vocabulary. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Kate Middleton Gets Sporty in a Barbour Jacket, Ralph Lauren Sweater, and Sneakers," 27 Feb. 2019 The company is confident that eco-conscious, well-to-do consumers will pay more to know whether their cage-free bird really enjoyed a daily walkabout before its demise. — Robyn Metcalfe, WSJ, "The Life Story of Your Supermarket Chicken: Food Tracking Goes High-Tech," 21 Feb. 2019 This mashup between a Jack Kerouac road trip and an Australian aboriginal walkabout may have just the right amount of weirdness to keep the former congressman’s millions of social media followers hanging on his every New Age musing. — Karl Rove, WSJ, "The Weirdness of American Politics," 23 Jan. 2019 Even with a massive crowd of fans, no one handles a walkabout quite like Prince Harry! — Maura Hohman, PEOPLE.com, "See Prince Harry's Trick for Greeting an Entire Crowd of Fans at Once!," 12 July 2018 At another point during their walkabout, Meghan had her own sweet moment with a child who got outside the barrier, giving a little girl, 2-year-old Catalina Rivera, a big hug. — Megan Friedman, Town & Country, "Prince Harry Had to Track Down a Lost Child’s Parents During a Stop in New Zealand," 31 Oct. 2018 And during the walkabout near Auckland's Viaduct Harbour, Meghan reunited with someone very special. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle Was so Surprised to Reunite with Someone Special on the Royal Tour in New Zealand," 30 Oct. 2018 Middleton has been spotted many occasions chatting with the public during walkabouts. — Katherine Lam, Fox News, "Queen Elizabeth's daughter Princess Anne explains why she doesn't shake fans' hands," 24 Sep. 2018 Finish your walkabout at the impossibly cool Temescal Alley, a tiny walking-only sidestreet with pricier boutiques (a.k.a. — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, "48 Hours in Oakland," 13 Sep. 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.