walk

[ wawk ]

/ wɔk /

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See synonyms for: walk / walked / walking / walks on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to advance or travel on foot at a moderate speed or pace; proceed by steps; move by advancing the feet alternately so that there is always one foot on the ground in bipedal locomotion and two or more feet on the ground in quadrupedal locomotion.

to move about or travel on foot for exercise or pleasure: We can walk in the park after lunch.

(of things) to move in a manner suggestive of walking, as through repeated vibrations or the effect of alternate expansion and contraction: He typed so hard that the lamp walked right off the desk.

Baseball. to receive a base on balls.

Slang.

to go on strike; stage a walkout: The miners will walk unless they get a pay raise.
to be acquitted or to be released or fined rather than sentenced to jail: If the prosecutor doesn't present his case well, the murderer may walk.

to go about on the earth, or appear to living persons, as a ghost: to believe that spirits walk at night.

(of a tool, pointer, or pen of a recording device, etc.) to glide, slip, or move from a straight course, fixed position, or the like: A regular drill bit may walk on a plastic surface when you first try to make a hole. When the earthquake started, the pen on the seismograph walked all over the paper.

to conduct oneself in a particular manner; pursue a particular course of life: to walk humbly with thy God.

Basketball. travel (def. 8).

Obsolete. to be in motion or action.

verb (used with object)

to proceed through, over, or upon at a moderate pace on foot: walking London streets by night; walking the floor all night.

to cause to walk; lead, drive, or ride at a walk, as an animal: We walked our horses the last quarter of a mile.

to force or help to walk, as a person: They were walking him around the room soon after his operation.

to conduct or accompany on a walk: He walked them about the park.

to move (a box, trunk, or other object) in a manner suggestive of walking, as by a rocking motion.

Baseball. (of a pitcher) to give a base on balls to (a batter).

to spend or pass (time) in walking (often followed by away): We walked the morning away along the beach.

to cause or accomplish by walking:We saw them walking guard over the chain gang.

to examine, measure, etc., by traversing on foot: to walk a track; to walk the boundaries of the property.

Informal. to send (a person who has a reservation at a hotel) to another hotel because of overbooking: It's exasperating to find yourself walked when you arrive at a hotel late in the evening.

noun

an act or instance of walking or going on foot.

a period of walking for exercise or pleasure: to go for a walk.

a distance walked or to be walked, often in terms of the time required: not more than ten minutes' walk from town.

the gait or pace of a person or an animal that walks.

a characteristic or individual manner of walking: It was impossible to mistake her walk.

a department or branch of activity, or a particular line of work: They found every walk of life closed against them.

Baseball. base on balls.

a path or way for pedestrians at the side of a street or road; sidewalk.

a place prepared or set apart for walking.

a path in a garden or the like.

a passage between rows of trees.

an enclosed yard, pen, or the like where domestic animals are fed and left to exercise.

the walk. race walking.

a sheepwalk.

a ropewalk.

(in the West Indies) a plantation of trees, especially coffee trees.

a group, company, or congregation, especially of snipes.

British.

the route of a street vendor, tradesman, or the like.
the district or area in which such a route is located.
a tract of forest land under the charge of one forester or keeper.

Archaic. manner of behavior; conduct; course of life.

Obsolete. a haunt or resort.

Verb Phrases

walk off, to get rid of by walking: to walk off a headache.

walk off with,

to remove illegally; steal.
to win or attain, as in a competition: to walk off with the first prize for flower arrangements.
to surpass one's competitors; win easily: to walk off with the fight.

walk out,

to go on strike.
to leave in protest: to walk out of a committee meeting.

walk out on, to leave unceremoniously; desert; forsake: to walk out on one's family.

walk out with, British. to court or be courted by: Cook is walking out with the chauffeur.

walk through, Theater, Television.

to release (a play) by combining a reading aloud of the lines with the designated physical movements.
Informal. to perform (a role, play, etc.) in a perfunctory manner.
to make little or no effort in performing one's role: He didn't like the script and walked through his part.

walk up, (of a hunter) to flush (game) by approaching noisily on foot and often with hunting dogs.

OTHER WORDS FOR walk

1 step, stride, stroll, saunter, ambulate, perambulate, promenade.

21 stroll, promenade, constitutional.

24 step, carriage.

26 sphere, area, field.

28, 29 passage, footpath, alley, avenue.

32 run.

See synonyms for walk on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about walk

take a walk, Informal. to leave, especially abruptly and without any intention or prospect of returning (often used imperatively to indicate dismissal): If he doesn't get his way, he takes a walk. I don't need your advice, so take a walk.

walk (someone) through, to guide or instruct carefully one step at a time: The teacher will walk the class through the entire testing procedure before the real test begins.

walk Spanish,

to be forced by another to walk on tiptoe.
to walk cautiously.
to be discharged or dismissed.
to discharge or dismiss (someone).

walk the plank. plank (def. 8).

Origin of walk

First recorded before 1000; (verb) Middle English walken, Old English wealcan “to roll, toss,” gewealcan “to go”; cognate with Dutch, German walken “to full (cloth),” Old Norse vālka “to toss”; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the verb

OTHER WORDS FROM walk

un·walked, adjective

Words nearby walk

Waley, Walfish Bay, Walhalla, wali, waling, walk, walkable, walkabout, walk all over, walkaround pay, walkathon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT WALK

What is a basic definition of walk?

Walk is a verb that means to move at a moderate pace with the feet. A walk is a period of time spent walking. Walk can also mean to help someone walk or to cause something to walk. Walk has many other senses as a noun and verb. Walk is also used in several idioms.

When you walk, you stand upright and put one foot in front of the other at a normal pace. Normally, when most people want to move from place to place, they walk. We also use walk to describe the movement of animals with more than two legs that alternate feet as they move. For example, you could say that your cat walked across a street.

Real-life examples: It is a major life stage when toddlers learn how to walk. You might walk to the store to buy food. Cities are full of people walking on the sidewalks.
Used in a sentence: My foot hurts so badly that I can barely walk.

Related to this sense, a walk is a period of walking done for exercise or entertainment.

Used in a sentence: I got so angry that I had to take a walk to cool down.

Walk can also mean to cause something (usually an animal) to walk. When referring to people, walk means to help someone walk or to join them on a walk.

Used in a sentence: Tamica walked her elderly neighbor across the busy intersection.

Walk is also used in several idioms. If someone is said to walk the walk, for example, it means that they do exactly what they say they do. This idiom is often used along with the phrase talk the talk to refer to someone making grand statements and either succeeding or failing to live up to them.

Used in a sentence: Nathan claims he can lift 600 pounds. He can talk the talk, but can he walk the walk?

Where does walk come from?

The first records of walk come from before the year 1000. It ultimately comes from the Old English wealcan, meaning “to roll or toss.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to walk?

walker (noun)
walkable (adjective)
unwalked (adjective)

What are some synonyms for walk?

What are some words that share a root or word element with walk?

What are some words that often get used in discussing walk?

How is walk used in real life?

Walk is a very common word that means to move at an average speed by foot.

Today I walked to my kitchen and had leftover pizza for breakfast. Follow me for more health tips!

— Reese Witherspoon (@ReeseW) February 7, 2021

The weather here today is ridiculously gorgeous. Headed out for a walk with my daughter.

— Just another European American (@twilliams1960) February 6, 2021

So a doctor made me walk across the room on my tip toes in dress shoes and back again on my heels today and I think he did it for fun.

— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) December 28, 2020

Try using walk!

Is walk used correctly in the following sentence?

I carefully walked across the room so I wouldn’t step on any toys.

How to use walk in a sentence

He has had years with control trouble and once led the league in walks.
MLB teams can buy hope easier than championships|Thomas M. Boswell|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
We also did our own stand-up paddleboarding, with our kids, David and Sophia, and went for long morning beach walks, rarely seeing others.
A Maui vacation in three acts|Alex Pulaski|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
The last time I saw a friend in person, for a long walk by the river, I returned home buzzing as if I had been to a party with a hundred people.
The Most Practical Outdoor Dining Outfit Is a Snuggie|Jaya Saxena|February 9, 2021|Eater
Rather, he understands when people from all walks of life are considered for important positions, the resulting workforce will be more diverse — and stronger for it.
Washington’s front office looks nothing like it ever has before. That’s a reason for hope.|Barry Svrluga|February 4, 2021|Washington Post

When he senses that we’re getting ready for a walk, or just before or after we feed him, Archie looks around for the rabbit, grabs it in his mouth, then prances about, whipping it back and forth.
My dog barked at me. What’s going on in that canine skull of his?|John Kelly|January 31, 2021|Washington Post
Creating PGCs from skin tissue, on the other hand, seems like a walk in the park compared to egg freezing.
Men Will Someday Have Kids Without Women|Samantha Allen|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“They know there are drug spots,” said Wanda Williams, who was out for a walk with her son.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“They just walk around, they ride in their patrol cars, and they just pass by,” he said.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Your general reaction runs along the lines of: “When will these geezers give it up and go for a mall walk or something?”
The World’s Toughest Political Quiz|Jeff Greenfield|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Other footage shows him fleeing, keeping to a quick walk, jogging briefly, then walking again as he heads for a subway station.
Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours|Michael Daly|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The two women had no intention of bathing; they had just strolled down to the beach for a walk and to be alone and near the water.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
She set off down Trafalgar Road in the mist and the rain, glad that she had been compelled to walk.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
I could see only the stretch of green before me, and I felt as if I must walk on forever, without coming to the end of it.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
He used to walk through the park, and note with pleasure the care that his father bestowed on the gigantic property.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The back of her head will be quite in line with her charming little bust, and I for one shall walk round and laugh in her face.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for walk

walk

/ (wɔːk) /

verb

(intr) to move along or travel on foot at a moderate rate; advance in such a manner that at least one foot is always on the ground

(tr) to pass through, on, or over on foot, esp habitually

(tr) to cause, assist, or force to move along at a moderate rateto walk a dog

(tr) to escort or conduct by walkingto walk someone home

(intr) (of ghosts, spirits, etc) to appear or move about in visible form

(of inanimate objects) to move or cause to move in a manner that resembles walking

(intr) to follow a certain course or way of lifeto walk in misery

(tr) to bring into a certain condition by walkingI walked my shoes to shreds

(tr) to measure, survey, or examine by walking

(tr) baseball to allow a batter to go to first base without batting by throwing four balls outside of the strike zone

Also: travel (intr) basketball to take more than two steps without passing or dribbling the ball

to disappear or be stolenwhere's my pencil? It seems to have walked

(intr) slang, mainly US (in a court of law) to be acquitted or given a noncustodial sentence

walk it to win easily

walk the plank See plank 1 (def. 4)

walk on air to be delighted or exhilarated

walk tall informal to have self-respect or pride

walk the streets

to be a prostitute
to wander round a town or city, esp when looking for work or having nowhere to stay

walk the walk or walk the talk informal to put theory into practiceyou can talk the talk but can you walk the walk? See also talk (def. 15)

noun

the act or an instance of walking

the distance or extent walked

a manner of walking; gait

a place set aside for walking; promenade

a chosen profession or sphere of activity (esp in the phrase walk of life)

a foot race in which competitors walk

an arrangement of trees or shrubs in widely separated rows
the space between such rows

an enclosed ground for the exercise or feeding of domestic animals, esp horses

mainly British the route covered in the course of work, as by a tradesman or postman

a procession; marchOrange walk

obsolete the section of a forest controlled by a keeper

Derived forms of walk

walkable, adjective

Word Origin for walk

Old English wealcan; related to Old High German walchan, Sanskrit valgati he moves

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with walk

walk

In addition to the idioms beginning with walk

walk all over
walk a tightrope
walk away from
walk away with
walking encyclopedia
walking papers
walk off with
walk of life
walk on air
walk on eggs
walk out
walk over
walk tall
walk the floor
walk the plank
walk through

also see:

cock of the walk
hands down (in a walk)
worship the ground someone walks on

walk

OTHER WORDS FOR walk

Idioms about walk

Origin of walk

OTHER WORDS FROM walk

Words nearby walk

MORE ABOUT WALK

What is a basic definition of walk?

Where does walk come from?

Did you know ... ?

How is walk used in real life?

Try using walk!

Words related to walk

How to use walk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for walk

Derived forms of walk

Word Origin for walk

Other Idioms and Phrases with walk