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jaywalk

[ jey-wawk ]
/ ˈdʒeɪˌwɔk /
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verb (used without object)
to cross a street at a place other than a regular crossing or in a heedless manner, as diagonally or against a traffic light.
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Origin of jaywalk

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; jay1 + walk

OTHER WORDS FROM jaywalk

jaywalker, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jaywalk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jaywalk

jaywalk
/ (ˈdʒeɪˌwɔːk) /

verb
(intr) to cross or walk in a street recklessly or illegally

Derived forms of jaywalk

jaywalker, nounjaywalking, noun

Word Origin for jaywalk

C20: from jay (sense 2)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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