jaywalk

American  

[jey-wawk] / ˈdʒeɪˌwɔk /

verb (used without object)

1. 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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jaywalk British  

/ ˈdʒeɪˌwɔːk /

verb

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

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Other Word Forms

• jaywalker noun
• jaywalking noun

Etymology

Origin of jaywalk

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; jay ¹ + walk

Explanation

To jaywalk is to cross the street in the middle of the block, rather than in a crosswalk, or in front of oncoming cars that have the right of way. If you dare to jaywalk, you might be violating a pedestrian traffic law. Shame on you. When you jaywalk, you don't follow the rules of the road that protect pedestrians and drivers. If you dash across the street against a red light, you jaywalk. Likewise, if you meander across a busy road rather than waiting at a crosswalk, you also jaywalk. Jaywalk comes from jay walker, coined in Kansas City in 1906, from the sense of jay as an ignorant person. Jaywalk was first used in Hutchinson, Kansas, in 1909.

Example Sentences

If you witness someone jaywalk, “say nothing but give them the judgmental side eye and text your friends about it,” Katy Sharp said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 29, 2023

But he said he never believed Psaila, his partner of 20 years and a “rule follower” who refused to jaywalk in college, had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2023

You will soon be able to jaywalk in California without getting a ticket, CNN reports.

From New York Times • Oct. 3, 2022

The Post: Can you give me an example of how the built environment might influence behavior, how a street design might prompt people to jaywalk or make drivers more likely to speed?

From Washington Post • Sep. 17, 2021

I watched him jaywalk across Fremont Boulevard and enter Fast & Easy, a little grocery store run by an elderly Vietnamese couple, Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini