jaywalked; jaywalking; jaywalks
: to cross a street carelessly or in an illegal manner so as to be endangered by traffic
jaywalker
noun
Examples of jaywalk in a Sentence
The police officer warned us not to jaywalk.
Recent Examples on the Web
Beachgoers who parked in neighborhoods jaywalked through a sea of cars across the highway to the sand.
—
Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024
In 2021, the Kansas City city council eliminated jaywalking to reform city laws that were disproportionately applied to people of color.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2024
The company halted its entire driverless fleet across the United States last year after one of its autonomous cars operating in San Francisco hit and dragged a jaywalking pedestrian who was flung into its path by a human driver.
—Trisha Thadani, Washington Post, 25 June 2024
Before the barrier was erected, the convenience store had put up signs in multiple languages warning tourists not to jaywalk.
—Koh Ewe, TIME, 28 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for jaywalk 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024
In 2021, the Kansas City city council eliminated jaywalking to reform city laws that were disproportionately applied to people of color.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2024
The company halted its entire driverless fleet across the United States last year after one of its autonomous cars operating in San Francisco hit and dragged a jaywalking pedestrian who was flung into its path by a human driver.
—Trisha Thadani, Washington Post, 25 June 2024
Before the barrier was erected, the convenience store had put up signs in multiple languages warning tourists not to jaywalk.
—Koh Ewe, TIME, 28 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for jaywalk
Articles Related to jaywalk
Dictionary Entries Near jaywalk
Cite this Entry
“Jaywalk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jaywalk. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jaywalk
verb
jay·walk
ˈjā-ˌwȯk 
: to cross a street carelessly without paying attention to traffic regulations
jaywalker
noun
Legal Definition
jaywalk
intransitive verb
jay·walk
ˈjā-ˌwȯk
: to cross a street carelessly or in an illegal manner so as to be endangered by traffic
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share