walkover

American  

[wawk-oh-ver] / ˈwɔkˌoʊ vər /

noun

1. Racing. a walking or trotting over the course by a contestant who is the only starter.

2. an unopposed or easy victory.

3. any task easily done.

4. Gymnastics. a vertical rotation of the body from a standing position, performed by leaning forward to a brief handstand and bringing the legs over and back down to the floor one at a time front walkover or by arching backward to a similar handstand and returning the feet to the floor back walkover.

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walkover British  

/ ˈwɔːkˌəʊvə /

noun

1. informal an easy or unopposed victory

2. horse racing

   1. the running or walking over the course by the only contestant entered in a race at the time of starting

   2. a race won in this way

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verb

1. (also adverb) to win a race by a walkover

2. informal to beat (an opponent) conclusively or easily

3. informal to take advantage of (someone)

Etymology

Origin of walkover

First recorded in 1830–40; noun use of verb phrase walk over

Example Sentences

If India are awarded a walkover, Pakistan will lose two points and take a big hit to their net run rate.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

He benefited from a walkover in the fourth round when No. 16 seed Jakub Menšík pulled out before the match, and another in the quarterfinals when he was down by two sets to Lorenzo Musetti.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

Ruud, the runner-up in 2022 and 2023, receives a walkover into the last four where he will play either German fourth seed Alexander Zverev or Australian 11th seed Alex de Minaur.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2024

Instead, Ruud gets a walkover into the semifinals, where he will face No. 4 Alexander Zverev or No. 11 Alex de Minaur.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 4, 2024

I walkover to the table and put five cookies in a napkin, looking around to make sure no one is watching.

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson

Related Words

• walkaway