walk

1 of 2

verb

ˈwȯk 

walked; walking; walks

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move along on foot : advance by steps

b

: to come or go easily or readily

c

: to go at a walk

d

: to go on foot for exercise or pleasure

2

baseball : to advance to first base by taking four pitches that are balls (see ball entry 1 sense 4a) : to go to first base as a result of a base on balls

3

: to avoid criminal prosecution or conviction

walked on a technicality

4

a

: walk out

walked over problems with management

b

: to pursue a course of action or way of life : conduct oneself : behave

walk warily

c

: to be or act in association : continue in union

the British and American peoples will … walk together side by side … in peace

—Sir Winston Churchill

5

of an astronaut : to move about in space outside a spacecraft

6

of an inanimate object

a

: to move in a manner that is suggestive of walking

b

: to stand with an appearance suggestive of strides

pylons walking across the valley

7

a

of a spirit : to move about in visible form : appear

b

of a ship : to make headway

c

obsolete : roam, wander

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause (an animal) to go at a walk : take for a walk

walking a dog

b(1)

: to cause to move by walking

walked her bicycle up the hill

(2)

: to haul (something, such as an anchor) by walking round the capstan

2

a

: to accompany on foot : walk with

walked her home

b

: to compel to walk (as by a command)

c

: to bring to a specified condition by walking

walked us off our feet

3

: to follow on foot for the purpose of measuring, surveying, or inspecting

walk a boundary

4

: to move (an object) in a manner suggestive of walking

5

a

: to pass on foot or as if on foot through, along, over, or upon : traverse, perambulate

walk the streets

walk a tightrope

b

: to perform or accomplish by going on foot

walk guard

6

baseball : to cause (a batter) to advance to first base by pitching four balls : to give a base on balls to

7

: to perform (a dance) at a walking pace

walk a quadrille

walk

2 of 2

noun

plural walks

1

a

: an act or instance of going on foot especially for exercise or pleasure

go for a walk

took a long walk around the neighborhood

see also take a walk

b

: space walk

2

: a place designed for walking:

a(1)

: a path specially arranged or paved for walking

(2)

: sidewalk

b

: a public avenue for promenading : promenade

c

: a railed platform above the roof of a dwelling house

d

: ropewalk

3

: distance to be walked

a quarter mile walk from here

4

: an accustomed place of walking : haunt

5

: a place or area of land in which animals feed and exercise with minimal restraint

6

baseball : an advance to first base awarded to a baseball player who during a turn at bat takes four pitches that are balls (see ball entry 1 sense 4a) : base on balls

7

: characteristic manner of walking

his walk is just like his father's

8

British : a ceremonial procession

9

a

: a low rate of speed

the shortage of raw materials slowed production to a walk

b

: the gait of a biped in which the feet are lifted alternately with one foot not clear of the ground before the other touches

c

: the gait of a quadruped in which there are always at least two feet on the ground

specifically : a 4-beat gait of a horse in which the feet strike the ground in the sequence near hind, near fore, off hind, off fore

10

: a route regularly traversed by a person in the performance of a particular activity (such as patrolling, begging, or vending)

11

a

: social or economic status

all walks of life

b(1)

: range or sphere of action : field, province

(2)

: vocation

12

: manner of living : conduct, behavior

13

: an easy victory

won in a walk

Phrases

walk away from

1

: to give up or leave behind willingly : abandon

2

: to survive (an accident) with little or no injury

3

: to outrun or get the better of without difficulty

walk off with

1

a

: to steal and take away

b

: to take over unexpectedly from someone else : steal sense 1d

walked off with the show

2

: to win or gain especially by outdoing one's competitors without difficulty

walk on

: to take advantage of : abuse

walk on eggshells or walk on eggs

: to exercise extreme caution

walk over

: to treat contemptuously

walk the plank

1

: to walk under compulsion over the side of a ship into the sea

2

: to resign an office or position under compulsion

walk through

1

: to go through (a theatrical role, a familiar activity, etc.) perfunctorily (as in an early stage of rehearsal)

2

: to guide (someone, such as a novice) through an unfamiliar or complex procedure step-by-step

3

: to deal with or carry out perfunctorily

walk in the park

: an easy or pleasurable experience

Synonyms

Verb

• ambulate
• foot (it)
• hoof (it)
• leg (it)
• pad
• step
• traipse
• tread

Noun

• amble
• constitutional
• perambulation
• ramble
• range
• saunter
• stroll
• turn
• wander

Examples of walk in a Sentence

Verb

Is your grandson walking yet?

He walks home from school every day.

It's not far; you can walk there in five minutes.

It was a while after the accident before she could walk again.

He walked away without saying goodbye!

She turned and walked away from him.

The driver walked away from the accident unharmed.

They walk around the neighborhood every morning for exercise.

We walked around the city all day seeing the sights.

He walked to the store.

Noun

The cliff walk along the ocean is very popular.

Many exotic plants can be found along the walk.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Vampire bats typically fly near prey and then quickly walk or run on their thumbs and wrists to close in. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024

And in the venue, among tables stacked with hors d'oeuvres and drinks, Michigan Republicans walked around with some newfound energy. —Dana Afana, Detroit Free Press, 6 Nov. 2024

Noun

As Pennsylvanians head to some nine thousand polling places to cast votes that are likely to decide the country’s future, go for a walk. —The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024

Get outside — for a walk, or to exercise — and limit time spent checking the news and social media, among other things. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English walken "to roll, toss about (of the sea, waves), wander, journey, go, go on foot, stroll, move about on earth (of a dead person's spirit), be in motion, circulate, be present, live," going back to Old English wealcan (strong verb) and wealcian (weak verb) "to toss about, work with the hands, turn over (in the mind), (of waves or the sea) to roll, surge," going back to Germanic *walkan- (whence also Middle Dutch walken "to knead, full [cloth]," Old High German giwalchen "fulled, thickened," as weak verbs Old Icelandic válka "to roll, stamp," velkja "to toss about"), of uncertain origin

Note: The Middle English verb experienced a remarkable degree of semantic diversification not paralleled in other Germanic languages, taking it far from its Old English sources, and leading to the usual modern meaning "to go by foot"; see detailed discussion of forms and meanings in Oxford English Dictionary, third edition. — The Germanic verb *walkan- has been compared with Sanskrit válgati "(s/he) leaps, bounds, (it) surges," and, more remotely, Latvian val͂gs "rope." However, as pointed out by G. Kroonen (Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Brill, 2013), there is a parallel verb *walgōn- evident in Middle Dutch walghen (in mi walghet "I feel nauseous"), Middle Low German walgen "to wrestle, strive," Old High German walgōn "to roll." If this etymon goes back to Indo-European *u̯olg^h-, it cannot be related to the Sanskrit verb. Both *walkan- and *walgōn- have been seen as representing root extensions of Indo-European *u̯el- "roll"; see welter entry 1.

Noun

Middle English walk, walke, noun derivative of walken "to journey, walk entry 1"

First Known Use

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 7c

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing walk

• cock of the walk
• every walk of life
• perp walk
• power walk
• random walk
• run/walk into a buzz saw
• sheep walk
• slow-walk
• space walk
• take a walk
• walk away with (something)
• walk back
• walk before one can run
• walk before one runs
• walk down the aisle
• walk-in
• walk-in closet
• walk in on
• walk in the park
• walk into
• walk it
• walk-off
• walk off the/one's job
• walk out
• walk out on
• walk out the door
• walk tall
• walk the streets
• walk the walk
• walk-up
• widow's walk

Kids Definition

walk

1 of 2 verb

ˈwȯk 

1

a

: to move or cause to move along on foot at a natural slow gait

walk to town

walk a horse up a hill

b

: to accompany on foot

walked her home

2

: to pass over, through, or along by walking

walk the streets

3

: to perform or accomplish by walking

walk guard

4

: to take or cause to take first base with a base on balls

walk

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act or instance of going on foot

go for a walk

2

: a place, path, or course for walking

3

: distance to be walked

it's a long walk

4

a

: manner of living : conduct, behavior

b

: social or economic status

various walks of life

5

a

: manner of walking

b

: a way of moving by a four-footed animal in which there are always at least two feet on the ground

especially : a slow way of moving by a horse in which the feet strike the ground in the sequence of left hind foot, left front foot, right hind foot, right front foot

6

: base on balls