jaywalking
noun
jay·walk·ing
ˈjā-ˌwȯ-kiŋ 
: the act of crossing a street in an illegal, careless, or unsafe manner
Sidewalks overflow with people during lunch and rush hours, intersections become clogged, and jaywalking is a Pittsburgh tradition.—
Joe Grata
—often used before another noun
Joe Gratajaywalking tickets
jaywalking laws
Examples of jaywalking in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The City Council passed legislation to allow jaywalking last month.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
What Has Mayor Adams Said? Liz Garcia, a spokesperson for Adams, declined to expand on the mayor's decision to let the jaywalking bill become law without taking action on it.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
Davis, who is Black, initially faced charges including resisting arrest and jaywalking, but was acquitted of all charges at trial.
—Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 1 Apr. 2024
For example, Wallace said, police who rarely or never arrest anyone on suspicion of jaywalking can have their motives questioned for a jaywalking arrest.
—Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2022
The criticisms and mea culpa come in the wake of a ProPublica report last month that private police in Cleveland’s medical area predominantly cite and criminally charge Black people for traffic violations and misdemeanors such as trespassing, jaywalking and possession of marijuana.
—David Armstrong, ProPublica, 15 Oct. 2020
New York City proposed a new tax on motorists, and California relaxed jaywalking restrictions and freed up land once reserved for parking spaces.
—Alice Li, Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2020
Supporters of the legislation contend that jaywalking is arbitrarily enforced throughout California.
—Shwanika Narayan, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2021
This codified the modern jaywalking offense and set an example the country would soon follow.
—Alice Li, Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2020
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.
Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
What Has Mayor Adams Said? Liz Garcia, a spokesperson for Adams, declined to expand on the mayor's decision to let the jaywalking bill become law without taking action on it.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
Davis, who is Black, initially faced charges including resisting arrest and jaywalking, but was acquitted of all charges at trial.
—Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 1 Apr. 2024
For example, Wallace said, police who rarely or never arrest anyone on suspicion of jaywalking can have their motives questioned for a jaywalking arrest.
—Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2022
The criticisms and mea culpa come in the wake of a ProPublica report last month that private police in Cleveland’s medical area predominantly cite and criminally charge Black people for traffic violations and misdemeanors such as trespassing, jaywalking and possession of marijuana.
—David Armstrong, ProPublica, 15 Oct. 2020
New York City proposed a new tax on motorists, and California relaxed jaywalking restrictions and freed up land once reserved for parking spaces.
—Alice Li, Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2020
Supporters of the legislation contend that jaywalking is arbitrarily enforced throughout California.
—Shwanika Narayan, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2021
This codified the modern jaywalking offense and set an example the country would soon follow.
—Alice Li, Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2020
Articles Related to jaywalking
Dictionary Entries Near jaywalking
Cite this Entry
“Jaywalking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jaywalking. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share