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.

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stalk ² American  

[stawk] / stɔk /

verb (used without object)

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.

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verb (used with object)

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 /

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

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stalk ² 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

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noun

1. the act of stalking

2. a stiff or threatening stride

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.

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Other Word Forms

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

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

Example Sentences

The guys realize they’re in a different era primarily through shifts in 21st-century culture: Bill Cosby is beloved, cinema audiences laugh freely at gay jokes, teenage goths stalk the streets of Toronto.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

This work requires stealth and sleepless nights to stalk poachers in the dark.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025

I couldn’t help but think that another fitting symbol for Italy would be a stalk of Pugliese wheat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

And for us, those quiet moments — watching bears stalk the shallows or eagles swoop low over the water — made it all more than worth it.

From Salon • Jul. 20, 2025

As Walter approaches the open window, I stalk off, pausing just long enough to spit in the dust.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

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