walking

[ waw-king ]

/ ˈwɔ kɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR walking ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

considered as a person who can or does walk or something that walks: The hospital is caring for six walking patients. He's walking proof that people can lose weight quickly.

used for or as an aid in walking: She put on her walking shoes and went out.

suitable for, characterized by, or consisting of walking: True sightseeing is a walking affair. We took a walking tour of Spain.

of or relating to an implement or machine drawn by a draft animal and operated or controlled by a person on foot: a walking plow.

of or relating to a mechanical part that moves back and forth.

noun

the act or action of a person or thing that walks: Walking was the best exercise for him.

the manner or way in which a person walks.

the state or condition of the surface, terrain, etc., on which a person walks: The walking is dry over here.

race walking.

Origin of walking

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at walk, -ing², -ing¹

OTHER WORDS FROM walking

non·walk·ing, adjective, noun

Words nearby walking

walker, walker hound, walker lake, walker, alice, walkie-talkie, walking, walking bass, walking beam, walking bus, walking catfish, walking delegate

Definition for walking (2 of 2)

walk

[ wawk ]

/ wɔk /

verb (used without object)

to advance or travel on foot at a moderate speed or pace; proceed by steps; move by advancing the feet alternately so that there is always one foot on the ground in bipedal locomotion and two or more feet on the ground in quadrupedal locomotion.

to move about or travel on foot for exercise or pleasure: We can walk in the park after lunch.

(of things) to move in a manner suggestive of walking, as through repeated vibrations or the effect of alternate expansion and contraction: He typed so hard that the lamp walked right off the desk.

Baseball. to receive a base on balls.

Slang.

to go on strike; stage a walkout: The miners will walk unless they get a pay raise.
to be acquitted or to be released or fined rather than sentenced to jail: If the prosecutor doesn't present his case well, the murderer may walk.

to go about on the earth, or appear to living persons, as a ghost: to believe that spirits walk at night.

(of a tool, pointer, or pen of a recording device, etc.) to glide, slip, or move from a straight course, fixed position, or the like: A regular drill bit may walk on a plastic surface when you first try to make a hole. When the earthquake started, the pen on the seismograph walked all over the paper.

to conduct oneself in a particular manner; pursue a particular course of life: to walk humbly with thy God.

Basketball. (of a player in possession of the ball) to take more than two steps without dribbling or passing the ball.

Obsolete. to be in motion or action.

verb (used with object)

to proceed through, over, or upon at a moderate pace on foot: walking London streets by night; walking the floor all night.

to cause to walk; lead, drive, or ride at a walk, as an animal: We walked our horses the last quarter of a mile.

to force or help to walk, as a person: They were walking him around the room soon after his operation.

to conduct or accompany on a walk: He walked them about the park.

to move (a box, trunk, or other object) in a manner suggestive of walking, as by a rocking motion.

Baseball. (of a pitcher) to give a base on balls to (a batter).

to spend or pass (time) in walking (often followed by away): We walked the morning away along the beach.

to cause or accomplish by walking: We saw them walking guard over the chain gang.

to examine, measure, etc., by traversing on foot: to walk a track; to walk the boundaries of the property.

Basketball. to advance (the ball) by taking more than two steps without dribbling or passing.

Informal. to send (a person who has a reservation at a hotel) to another hotel because of overbooking: It's exasperating to find yourself walked when you arrive at a hotel late in the evening.

noun

an act or instance of walking or going on foot.

a period of walking for exercise or pleasure: to go for a walk.

a distance walked or to be walked, often in terms of the time required: not more than ten minutes' walk from town.

the gait or pace of a person or an animal that walks.

a characteristic or individual manner of walking: It was impossible to mistake her walk.

a department or branch of activity, or a particular line of work: They found every walk of life closed against them.

Baseball. base on balls.

a path or way for pedestrians at the side of a street or road; sidewalk.

a place prepared or set apart for walking.

a path in a garden or the like.

a passage between rows of trees.

an enclosed yard, pen, or the like where domestic animals are fed and left to exercise.

the walk. race walking.

a sheepwalk.

a ropewalk.

(in the West Indies) a plantation of trees, especially coffee trees.

a group, company, or congregation, especially of snipes.

British.

the route of a street vendor, tradesman, or the like.
the district or area in which such a route is located.
a tract of forest land under the charge of one forester or keeper.

Archaic. manner of behavior; conduct; course of life.

Obsolete. a haunt or resort.

Verb Phrases

walk off, to get rid of by walking: to walk off a headache.

walk off with,

to remove illegally; steal.
to win or attain, as in a competition: to walk off with the first prize for flower arrangements.
to surpass one's competitors; win easily: to walk off with the fight.

walk out,

to go on strike.
to leave in protest: to walk out of a committee meeting.

walk out on, to leave unceremoniously; desert; forsake: to walk out on one's family.

walk out with, British. to court or be courted by: Cook is walking out with the chauffeur.

walk through, Theater, Television.

to release (a play) by combining a reading aloud of the lines with the designated physical movements.
Informal. to perform (a role, play, etc.) in a perfunctory manner.
to make little or no effort in performing one's role: He didn't like the script and walked through his part.

walk up, (of a hunter) to flush (game) by approaching noisily on foot and often with hunting dogs.

Origin of walk

before 1000; (v.) Middle English walken, Old English wealcan to roll, toss, gewealcan to go; cognate with Dutch, German walken to full (cloth), Old Norse vālka to toss; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR walk

1 step, stride, stroll, saunter, ambulate, perambulate, promenade.

22 stroll, promenade, constitutional.

25 step, carriage.

27 sphere, area, field.

29, 30 passage, footpath, alley, avenue.

33 run.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR walk ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM walk

un·walked, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for walking

They became so brown and shriveled that they looked like walking beef jerky with New York accents.

Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’ |Asawin Suebsaeng |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The Walking Dead piled up an impressive body count in 2014, with Lizzie, Hershel, and Beth among its major casualties.

The Red Viper, Zoe Barnes, and the Best Fictional Deaths of 2014 |Melissa Leon |January 1, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Other footage shows him fleeing, keeping to a quick walk, jogging briefly, then walking again as he heads for a subway station.

Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours |Michael Daly |December 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
After walking block after block holding that container, he had suddenly discarded it and was now clutching a gun.

Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours |Michael Daly |December 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

I am reminded of the story of Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent, VT) walking along the shores of Lake Champlain.

Santa Fails One More Time |P. J. O’Rourke |December 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It was like walking at the bottom of the sea, only things that were thrown at you travelled faster.

The Glory of the Trenches |Coningsby Dawson
"I forgot how long it takes to get a diploma," he said, walking away again.

Rose in Bloom |Louisa May Alcott
After walking a good distance, we arrived at a gate and lodge, where we stopped to inquire the way.

Wilfrid Cumbermede |George MacDonald
All through this he's been walking up and down the floor like he was drilling for the militia.

J. Poindexter, Colored |Irvin Shrewsbury Cobb
A seaside place, as a centre for motoring, walking or bicycling, is by its very essence one-sided or even less.

Through East Anglia in a Motor Car |J. E. (James Edmund) Vincent

British Dictionary definitions for walking (1 of 2)

walking

/ (ˈwɔːkɪŋ) /

adjective

(of a person) considered to possess the qualities of something inanimate as specified he is a walking encyclopedia

British Dictionary definitions for walking (2 of 2)

walk

/ (wɔːk) /

verb

(intr) to move along or travel on foot at a moderate rate; advance in such a manner that at least one foot is always on the ground

(tr) to pass through, on, or over on foot, esp habitually

(tr) to cause, assist, or force to move along at a moderate rate to walk a dog

(tr) to escort or conduct by walking to walk someone home

(intr) (of ghosts, spirits, etc) to appear or move about in visible form

(of inanimate objects) to move or cause to move in a manner that resembles walking

(intr) to follow a certain course or way of life to walk in misery

(tr) to bring into a certain condition by walking I walked my shoes to shreds

(tr) to measure, survey, or examine by walking

(tr) baseball to allow a batter to go to first base without batting by throwing four balls outside of the strike zone

Also: travel (intr) basketball to take more than two steps without passing or dribbling the ball

to disappear or be stolen where's my pencil? It seems to have walked

(intr) slang, mainly US (in a court of law) to be acquitted or given a noncustodial sentence

walk it to win easily

walk the plank See plank 1 (def. 4)

walk on air to be delighted or exhilarated

walk tall informal to have self-respect or pride

walk the streets

to be a prostitute
to wander round a town or city, esp when looking for work or having nowhere to stay

walk the walk or walk the talk informal to put theory into practice you can talk the talk but can you walk the walk? See also talk (def. 15)

noun

the act or an instance of walking

the distance or extent walked

a manner of walking; gait

a place set aside for walking; promenade

a chosen profession or sphere of activity (esp in the phrase walk of life)

a foot race in which competitors walk

an arrangement of trees or shrubs in widely separated rows
the space between such rows

an enclosed ground for the exercise or feeding of domestic animals, esp horses

mainly British the route covered in the course of work, as by a tradesman or postman

a procession; march Orange walk

obsolete the section of a forest controlled by a keeper

See also walk away, walk into, walk off, walk out, walkover, walk through

Derived forms of walk

walkable, adjective

Word Origin for walk

Old English wealcan; related to Old High German walchan, Sanskrit valgati he moves

Medical definitions for walking

walk

[ wôk ]

v.

To move over a surface by taking steps with the feet at a pace slower than a run.

n.

The gait of a human in which the feet are lifted alternately with one part of a foot always on the ground.

The characteristic way in which one walks.

Idioms and Phrases with walking

walk

In addition to the idioms beginning with walk

walk all over
walk a tightrope
walk away from
walk away with
walking encyclopedia
walking papers
walk off with
walk of life
walk on air
walk on eggs
walk out
walk over
walk tall
walk the floor
walk the plank
walk through

also see:

cock of the walk
hands down (in a walk)
worship the ground someone walks on

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

walking

adjective

noun

Origin of walking

OTHER WORDS FROM walking

Words nearby walking

Definition for walking (2 of 2)

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of walk

SYNONYMS FOR walk

OTHER WORDS FROM walk

Example sentences from the Web for walking

British Dictionary definitions for walking (1 of 2)

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for walking (2 of 2)

verb

noun

Derived forms of walk

Word Origin for walk

Medical definitions for walking

v.

n.

Idioms and Phrases with walking

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

walking

adjective

noun

Origin of walking

OTHER WORDS FROM walking

Words nearby walking

Definition for walking (2 of 2)

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of walk

SYNONYMS FOR walk

OTHER WORDS FROM walk

Words related to walking

Example sentences from the Web for walking

British Dictionary definitions for walking (1 of 2)

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for walking (2 of 2)

verb

noun

Derived forms of walk

Word Origin for walk

Medical definitions for walking

v.

n.

Idioms and Phrases with walking