walk-in
Americanadjective
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of or relating to persons who walk into a place from the street, especially irregularly or without an appointment.
walk-in customers; walk-in sales; a walk-in patient.
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large enough to be walked into.
a walk-in kitchen.
noun
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a person, as a customer, patient, or interviewee, who arrives without an appointment.
Many of the clinic's patients are walk-ins who suddenly need help.
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something large enough to be walked into, as a closet.
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an assured victory in an election or other contest.
adjective
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(of a cupboard) large enough to allow a person to enter and move about in
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(of a building or apartment) located so as to admit of direct access from the street
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(of a flat or house) in a suitable condition for immediate occupation
Etymology
Origin of walk-in
First recorded in 1925–30; adj., noun use of verb phrase walk in
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.
A paving stone on Parliament Walk in Alloa also marks a visit by the former prince on the same day.
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026
The kitchen window of the house in Ganaway Walk in Kilcooley was smashed.
From BBC • Oct. 21, 2025
Walk in via its bar, and gone are views of Olympic Boulevard.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2025
Girls Who Walk in June 2023, along with another chapter in her hometown, San Diego, where she has volunteers leading walks and occasionally returns to host them herself.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2024
Walk in as a volunteer and say hi to everyone who waited on you as a patient.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
