stalk

[ stawk ]

/ stɔk /

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See synonyms for: stalk / stalked / stalking / stalker on Thesaurus.com

noun

the stem or main axis of a plant.

any slender supporting or connecting part of a plant, as the petiole of a leaf, the peduncle of a flower, or the funicle of an ovule.

a similar structural part of an animal.

a stem, shaft, or slender supporting part of anything.

Automotive. a slender lever, usually mounted on or near the steering wheel, that is used by the driver to control a signal or function: The horn button is on the turn-signal stalk.

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Origin of stalk

1275–1325; Middle English stalke, apparently equivalent to Old English stal(u) stave + -k diminutive suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM stalk

stalklike, adjective

Words nearby stalk

Stalin, Joseph, Stalinogrod, Stalin Peak, Stalinsk, Stalin's purge trials, stalk, stalked, stalked puffball, stalker, stalk-eyed, stalking

Other definitions for stalk (2 of 2)

stalk²

[ stawk ]

/ stɔk /

verb (used without object)

to pursue or approach prey, quarry, etc., stealthily.

to walk with measured, stiff, or haughty strides: He was so angry he stalked away without saying goodbye.

to proceed in a steady, deliberate, or sinister manner: Famine stalked through the nation.

Obsolete. to walk or go stealthily along.

verb (used with object)

to pursue (game, a person, etc.) stealthily.

to proceed through (an area) in search of prey or quarry: to stalk the woods for game.

to proceed or spread through in a steady or sinister manner: Disease stalked the land.

noun

an act or course of stalking quarry, prey, or the like: We shot the mountain goat after a five-hour stalk.

a slow, stiff stride or gait.

Origin of stalk

1250–1300; Middle English stalken (v.), representing the base of Old English bestealcian to move stealthily, stealcung stalking (gerund); akin to steal

OTHER WORDS FROM stalk

stalk·a·ble, adjectivestalker, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use stalk in a sentence

Another client, Meadow Mushrooms, is making packaging from the stalks removed from mushrooms during processing.
How technology rewrites your diet|Amy Nordrum|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
A few miles down the road, a rusting old John Deere combine growled on through the flurries, its blade churning through dead-brown stalks of soybeans.
The Big Thaw: How Russia Could Dominate a Warming World|by Abrahm Lustgarten, photography by Sergey Ponomarev|December 16, 2020|ProPublica
These grass-like plants will be 3 to 9 feet tall with an oval cross section to the lower stalk.
13 edible plants you can still find in the winter|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 1, 2020|Popular-Science
The most interesting thing is not that it’s almost spherical, but rather the beautiful cusplike feature where the stalk meets the fruit.
A Scientist Who Delights in the Mundane|Steve Nadis|October 26, 2020|Quanta Magazine

The system monitors grain as it’s collected and adjusts dozens of settings on the combine in real-time to maximize how much grain is chopped from each stalk and to minimize waste.
A.I. gets down in the dirt as precision agriculture takes off|Aaron Pressman|October 5, 2020|Fortune
At night jineteras stalk the promenade in search of tourists while a trumpet from a bench serenades the proceedings.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Murder, suicide, illness, old age: These deaths stalk us all, but in prison, they collect us so much more cheaply.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They go to Paris, but never leave the underground metro station, where they stalk the metro mall shops.
‘Girlhood’: Coming of Age in France’s Projects|Molly Hannon|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Famine will stalk the land and as many as seven million people will confront extreme food insecurity—in short, starvation.
Preventing Genocide In South Sudan|Eric Reeves, John Prendergast|April 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More girls are reporting their boyfriends stalk them via text message or threaten to humiliate them with social media.
Digital Harassment Is the New Means of Domestic Abuse|Keli Goff|February 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The flowers grow in clusters from the extremities of the stalk; they are yellow externally and of a delicate red within.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
When a leaf is so young that it wraps itself around the main stalk it's useless to try to turn it over.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
At last the Queen, whose mouth was now quite filled with bits of the mullen-stalk, mumbled, "Get to the point."
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
Why should they not dawdle at their labor sitting upon the fence in endless colloquy while the harvest rots upon the stalk?
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
I wonder if that square-jawed devil has got a glimpse of us and is trying a lone-handed stalk himself?
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for stalk (1 of 2)

stalk¹

/ (stɔːk) /

noun

the main stem of a herbaceous plant

any of various subsidiary plant stems, such as a leafstalk (petiole) or flower stalk (peduncle)

a slender supporting structure in animals such as crinoids and certain protozoans, coelenterates, and barnacles

any long slender supporting shaft or column

Derived forms of stalk

stalked, adjectivestalkless, adjectivestalklike, adjective

Word Origin for stalk

C14: probably a diminutive formed from Old English stalu upright piece of wood; related to Old Frisian staal handle

British Dictionary definitions for stalk (2 of 2)

stalk²

/ (stɔːk) /

verb

to follow or approach (game, prey, etc) stealthily and quietly

to pursue persistently and, sometimes, attack (a person with whom one is obsessed, often a celebrity)

to spread over (a place) in a menacing or grim mannerfever stalked the camp

(intr) to walk in a haughty, stiff, or threatening wayhe stalked out in disgust

to search or draw (a piece of land) for prey

noun

the act of stalking

a stiff or threatening stride

Derived forms of stalk

stalker, noun

Word Origin for stalk

Old English bestealcian to walk stealthily; related to Middle Low German stolkeren, Danish stalke

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

Medical definitions for stalk

stalk

[ stôk ]

A slender or elongated support or structure, as one that connects or supports an organ.

Scientific definitions for stalk

stalk

[ stôk ]

The main stem of a plant.

A slender structure that supports a plant part, such as a flower or leaf.

A slender supporting structure in certain other organisms, such as the reproductive structure in plasmodial slime molds or the part of a mushroom below the cap.

A slender supporting or connecting part of an animal, such as the eyestalk of a lobster.

stalk

Origin of stalk

OTHER WORDS FROM stalk

Words nearby stalk

Other definitions for stalk (2 of 2)

Origin of stalk

OTHER WORDS FROM stalk

Words related to stalk

How to use stalk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stalk (1 of 2)

Derived forms of stalk

Word Origin for stalk

British Dictionary definitions for stalk (2 of 2)

Derived forms of stalk

Word Origin for stalk

Medical definitions for stalk

Scientific definitions for stalk