stilt

American  

[stilt] / stɪlt /

noun

1. one of two poles, each with a support for the foot at some distance above the bottom end, enabling the wearer to walk with their feet above the ground.

2. one of several posts supporting a structure built above the surface of land or water.

3. Ceramics. a three-armed support for an object being fired.

4. any of several wading birds with very long pink legs and a long, slender bill, including the black-and-white Cladorhynchus leucocephalus and Himantopus himantopus.

5. British Dialect.

   1. a plow handle.

   2. a crutch.

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verb (used with object)

1. to raise on or as if on stilts.

stilt British  

/ stɪlt /

noun

1. either of a pair of two long poles with footrests on which a person stands and walks, as used by circus clowns

2. a long post or column that is used with others to support a building above ground level

3. any of several shore birds of the genera Himantopus and Cladorhynchus, similar to the avocets but having a straight bill

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verb

1. (tr) to raise or place on or as if on stilts

Other Word Forms

• stiltlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of stilt

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English stilte; cognate with Low German stilte “pole,” German Stelze

Explanation

Stilts are walking devices that make the person wearing them much taller than usual. When you use stilts, you stand on foot rests and walk along far above the ground. Stilts are special poles, either for walking tall or for supporting a structure that might otherwise be damaged by water. You can sometimes see people walking on stilts at a circus or parade, and you can see houses on stilts in some beachfront communities. Walking stilts are sometimes also used by workers, including the stilts worn by window washers and fruit farmers.

Example Sentences

This year's carnival featured musical performances, bedazzled horses, huge dragons and dancing stilt walkers.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

“I went to them and said, ‘Hey, can we have one of those stilt walkers?’” says Slash, referring to the larger-than-life lurkers who haunt guests during the festivities.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2025

A major report on the remains of a stilt village that was engulfed in flames almost 3,000 years ago reveals in unprecedented detail the daily lives of England's prehistoric fenlanders.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2024

“Her work in the city is unequaled in building an empire, and she’s still building,” said Carol Passarinha, one of the 30 stilt walkers Potí assembled to parade this week with the reigning samba school.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 10, 2024

Mrs. Cripe didn’t ring up a stilt after the farm women left, so they may have come in just for the toothpicks.

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• angular
• gangly
• gaunt
• lanky
• rangy
• sinewy
• skinny
• slender
• slim
• sparse
• svelte
• wiry