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Synonyms

walking stick

American  

noun

  1. a stick held in the hand and used to help support oneself while walking.

  2. Also called stick insect.  Also walkingstick any of several insects of the family Phasmidae, having a long, slender, twiglike body.

walking stick British  

noun

  1. a stick or cane carried in the hand to assist walking

  2. the usual US name for stick insect

"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

Etymology

Origin of walking stick

First recorded in 1570–80

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.

His father, he said, had been out for a walk and was using a curtain rod as a walking stick.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Around 2016, he lost the ability to play golf, a longtime passion, and relied on a walking stick.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

Striding forward, his sturdy right hand clutches a knobby wooden walking stick, cut from a tree branch and stripped.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2025

It is a painful and slow journey, using a walking stick.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2025

“Stop it! Stop it!” cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

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.