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.
-
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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Many of those walk-in centres were subsequently either shut down or repurposed into other services such as emergency care centres.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
You can get a walk-in MenB vaccine at a pharmacy if you were born on or after 21 July 2001, and for the first time this autumn you are:
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
On the second level, a sizable primary suite creates a beautifully serene sanctuary, complete with a huge ensuite bathroom and a sizable walk-in closet.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
In recent days, social media has been filled with videos of Europeans gawking at the staples of suburban American life—a two-car garage, a walk-in closet, a second refrigerator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
She got an apartment in Charles Village, a one-bedroom with old wood floors, although she might as well have been living with Curt; most of her clothes were in his walk-in closet lined with mirrors.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
These days, reservations are recommended but Sullivan holds space for walk-ins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
The prices are reasonable, service fantastic and they take walk-ins.
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2025
"On average, we receive up to 50 calls and sometimes 20 walk-ins in a day," Njeri Migwi tells the BBC.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2024
Reservations might be hard to score this month, but management will accept walk-ins.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2024
Margaret welcomed me as if I were a walk-in customer even though in her business there aren’t any walk-ins since everything is done by appointment.
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
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.
