stalking
Americannoun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of stalking
Explanation
Stalking is the act of following someone or something very closely and watching its every move. If you're a very famous movie star, it's quite likely that someone is stalking you even as you read this sentence! The verb to stalk means to pursue carefully, and often stealthily. It was originally used to describe hunters following their prey and waiting for the precise moment to attack. In its more recent, colloquial use, stalk and its gerund form stalking, refer to the act of pursuing a person, often because you have an unhealthy obsession with them. Stalking your ex-girlfriend to see if she’s dating someone may seem like a good idea, but it’s unwise and illegal!
Vocabulary lists containing stalking
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.
At times he rhetorically asks, “whachoo talkin’ about, Dr. O-lis?”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
In the laugh break that followed that joke, she stared directly into the camera, her mouth playfully twisted in a “you know what I’m talkin’ about” half smirk, accessorized with side-eye.
From Salon • Aug. 24, 2024
A full-length mirror with “You talkin’ to me?” in white lettering signaled the entry to the “Taxi Driver” corner.
From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2024
Folks been talkin’ bad about Bud Crawford since he was the No. 1 prospects in the amateurs, Bernie said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2023
“Kenny and I are even talkin’ ’bout doin’ some perch fishin’ to offset it some.”
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
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.
