walk of shame

American  

[wawk uhv sheym] / ˈwɔk əv ˈʃeɪm /

noun

Slang.

1. the return trip home the morning after an unplanned sexual encounter, usually a one-night stand, wearing clothing from the previous evening.

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Usage

What does walk of shame mean? The walk of shame is when someone goes back home the morning after partying and hooking up with someone, typically wearing the same clothes from the night before because they hadn’t planned on the sexual encounter. This use of walk of shame is often seen as sexist, because it frequently slut-shames women. Walk of shame is sometimes used in more general, non-sexual senses for when someone has to face the public after an embarrassing moment. What are some other words related to walk of shame?one-night standhook-upvictory lapNetflix and chill

Etymology

Origin of walk of shame

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

But I would be lying if I said we didn’t enjoy seeing people getting turned away and doing a kind of walk of shame to the end of the line.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2024

Meanwhile, Lupin's owner admits she has "walked the walk of shame" several times, retrieving her cat from the store.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2022

Images of empty seats dominated the coverage, and Twitter folks had a good time meme-ifying Trump's desultory walk of shame back to the White House.

From Salon • Jun. 22, 2020

Maybe Bezos, by his willingness to take such a spotlit walk of shame, can set an example for people to be more prudent and braver when there seems to be no way out.

From Washington Post • Feb. 8, 2019

Adding too much soap — Sophie’s slow-motion walk of shame is especially worthy of an eye roll — and too little acid, Ms. Greenwald neuters some of her characters and blurs others.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2017