walk of shame

[wawk uhv sheym]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of walk of shame¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

Holly said she and her friends had "bled through our underwear", adding: "One of my friends bled through onto a chair and had to do a walk of shame. It was one of her first periods and people made fun of her for weeks."

From BBC

Such was the walk of shame Cruz had to make when he was found in 2021 vacationing in Cancun while Texas was suffering from a deep freeze.

From Slate

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

When that happens, residents are forced to defecate in wastebaskets in their rooms and then, he said, take “the walk of shame” to deposit their feces in hallway trash rooms.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s the walk of shame moment.”

From Seattle Times

When To Use

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