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perp walk

British  

noun

  1. informal an arranged public appearance of a recently arrested criminal for the benefit of the media

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Several media outlets have reported that FBI leadership had planned a public perp walk for Comey.

From Salon • Oct. 11, 2025

Oswald was killed two days later by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby during a perp walk broadcast on live television.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2025

Though he had mulled the value of doing a perp walk, there was no such parade.

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2023

Other US media say there will be no perp walk - when a handcuffed suspect is publicly marched by officers to face charges.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2023

So it’s not an automatic thing that if the grand jury votes to indict him, then there’s a perp walk.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.