jaywalk

[jey-wawk]

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.

Origin of jaywalk

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

Related formsjay·walk·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for jaywalking

Contemporary Examples of jaywalking

So if you are stopped for jaywalking or driving with a broken headlight, the police can ask to see your papers.
What the Supreme Court’s Arizona Ruling Means for Immigration and Health Care
Adam Winkler
June 25, 2012

British Dictionary definitions for jaywalking

jaywalk

verb

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

Derived Formsjaywalker, 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

Word Origin and History for jaywalking

by 1912, American English (said in original citation to be a Kansas City term), from jay, perhaps with notion of boldness and impudence. Related: Jaywalk; jaywalker.