stalk

¹ American  

[stawk] / stɔk /

noun

1. the stem or main axis of a plant.

2. 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.

3. a similar structural part of an animal.

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

5. 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.

---

stalk ² American  

[stawk] / stɔk /

verb (used without object)

• stalks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stalked,
  past participle,  past
• stalking
  present participle

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

2. to walk with measured, stiff, or haughty strides.

   He was so angry he stalked away without saying goodbye.

3. to proceed in a steady, deliberate, or sinister manner.

   Famine stalked through the nation.

4. Obsolete. to walk or go stealthily along.

---

verb (used with object)

• stalks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stalked,
  past participle,  past
• stalking
  present participle

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

2. to proceed through (an area) in search of prey or quarry.

   to stalk the woods for game.

3. to proceed or spread through in a steady or sinister manner.

   Disease stalked the land.

noun

1. an act or course of stalking quarry, prey, or the like.

   We shot the mountain goat after a five-hour stalk.

2. a slow, stiff stride or gait.

stalk ¹ British  

/ stɔːk /

verb

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

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

3. to spread over (a place) in a menacing or grim manner

   fever stalked the camp

4. (intr) to walk in a haughty, stiff, or threatening way

   he stalked out in disgust

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

---

noun

1. the act of stalking

2. a stiff or threatening stride

stalk ² British  

/ stɔːk /

noun

1. the main stem of a herbaceous plant

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

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

4. any long slender supporting shaft or column

---

stalk Scientific  

/ stôk /

1. The main stem of a plant.

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

3. 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.

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stalker
  noun
• stalkable
  adjective
• stalked
  adjective
• stalkless
  adjective
• stalklike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• stalking
  present
• stalked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• stalk
  simple
• stalks
  simple
• have stalked
  perfect
• has stalked
  perfect
• am stalking
  progressive
• are stalking
  progressive
• is stalking
  progressive
• have been stalking
  perfect progressive
• has been stalking
  perfect progressive

Past

• stalked
  simple
• had stalked
  perfect
• was stalking
  progressive
• were stalking
  progressive
• had been stalking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will stalk
  simple
• will have stalked
  perfect
• will be stalking
  progressive
• will have been stalking
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of stalk¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English stalk(e), apparently equivalent to Old English stal(u) “stave” + -k diminutive suffix; akin to Norwegian dialect stalk, Swedish stjelk, Danish stilk

Origin of stalk²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb stalken, representing the base of Old English bestealcian “to move stealthily”; akin to steal

---

Explanation

A stalk is a long, vertical stem or connecting part of a plant. When you eat celery, do you like the inner stalks, which are paler and more tender, or the tough outer ones? As a verb, stalk means to walk stiffly or angrily. If someone insults you, you might stalk from the room and refuse to listen to another word. When hunting, an animal stalks its prey — it follows its quarry stealthily until it's time to pounce. Similarly, if a person stalks you, they follow and watch you. It is very threatening and frightening to the one who is being stalked, and the police should be called.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stalk stalks stalked stalking

And recent reporting by the Washington Post uncovered at least 50 instances nationwide in which law enforcement officials were accused of misusing their access to the cameras, largely to stalk former romantic partners or citizens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

The city used an economic office to stalk dissidents in the U.K.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

These organisms had U-shaped bodies and were anchored to the seafloor by a stalk.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 6, 2026

"Wilder is going to be coming on strong early, but I expect Derek to weather the storm, stalk his man down and finish it in big style in the 12th round."

From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026

He’d stalk out into the deepest part of the channel to where logs were sunk.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

It looks like charcoal, but the black briquettes are actually made from plant waste: millet and sesame stalks, palm fronds and cobs.

From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026

Stacks of wheat straws and corn stalks separated my village from the fields, where the growth was always a little sparser than we wanted it to be.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

Many of the fossils display unusual combinations of features, such as tentacles, stalks, attachment discs, and feeding structures that could be turned inside out.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 6, 2026

Aliyu Abdullahi Isa, a 25-year-old Fulani herder, knows the names of all the 20 white cattle grazing on the remains of dry stalks of maize.

From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026

“I wouldn’t care if I had to climb the stalks and ride them down to the ground.”

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

At this World Cup, they did everything to put the ball in his vicinity, while he stalked around, shunting his way into space.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

"It makes me feel as if I'm being stalked," she says.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

In New York, where the firm is located, people are only eligible for those if they are being stalked by a partner or ex-partner.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

“Justice has been served against two agitators who stalked a federal employee, livestreamed it on social media, and traumatized both the victim and his family,” First Asst.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026

He pushed off from his seat and stalked to the door, elbowing past Ike.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Hate stalking the airline seat map for a better seat ahead of your flight like it’s a part-time job?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

The Millers and their children moved from their Virginia home into military housing last year amid what the White House has described as a campaign of stalking, doxing and threats against the family.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

Orth, citing the ongoing investigation, declined to give further specifics on the stalking accusation and whether any city employees were the targets of the former deputy chief’s alleged actions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Yellow-bellied marmots are stalking hikers and campers in a park more famous for its namesake giant trees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

At times, he moves swiftly; other times, he’s deliberate like a stalking cat.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• ambush
• chase
• haunt
• hunt
• pursue
• stride

---