walk
He walks two miles to work every morning.
To move forward by putting one foot in front of the other
He walks two miles to work every morning.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
walk
noun
a journey on foot:
The beach is a short walk from our house.
I took the dog for a walk.
It was a lovely day so we went for a walk in the park.
verb (walks, walking, walked )
to move on your legs, but not run:
I usually walk to work.
We walked 20 kilometres today.
walk out to leave suddenly because you are angry:
He walked out of the meeting.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
walk
I. walk1 S1 W1 /wɔːk $ wɒːk/ BrE AmE verb
1. [intransitive and transitive] to move forward by putting one foot in front of the other:
‘How did you get here?’ ‘We walked.’
Doctors said he’d never walk again.
walk into/down/up etc
Carrie walked into the room and sat down in her chair.
He loved walking in the hills.
walk a mile/200 metres/a short distance etc
We must have walked ten miles today.
I walked all the way to San Rafael.
within (easy) walking distance (of something) (=near enough to be able to walk to)
There are plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.
walking pace (=the speed that you normally walk at)
2. [transitive] to walk somewhere with someone, especially in order to make sure that they are safe or to be polite:
It’s late – I’ll walk you home.
walk somebody to something
Schools are urging parents to walk their children to school.
She walked me to the front gate.
3. [transitive] to take a dog for a walk for exercise:
Grandma’s out walking the dog.
4. [intransitive] British English informal if something has walked, it has disappeared and you think someone may have taken it:
My pen seems to have walked.
5. walk free (also walk American English) to leave a court of law without being punished or sent to prison:
Ferguson walked free after the charges were dropped.
If more evidence isn’t found, Harris will walk.
6. walk it British English spoken
a) to make a journey by walking:
If the last bus has gone, we’ll have to walk it.
b) to succeed or win something easily
7. be walking on air to be feeling extremely happy
8. walk the streets
a) to walk around the streets in a town or city:
It was not safe to walk the streets at night.
b) old-fashioned to be a ↑prostitute
9. walk the beat when a police officer walks the beat, they walk around an area of a town or city in order to make sure nobody is committing a crime
10. walk tall to be proud and confident because you know that you have not done anything wrong
11. walk somebody off their feet British Englishwalk sb’s legs off American English informal to make someone tired by making them walk too far
12. walk the walk to do the things that people expect or think are necessary in a particular situation:
People are motivated by leaders who actually walk the walk. ⇨ talk the talk at ↑talk1(18)
13. walk the plank to be forced to walk along a board laid over the side of the ship until you fall off into the sea, used as a punishment in the past
14. walk on eggshells (also walk on eggs American English) to be very careful about how you behave with someone because they are easily upset or made angry
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ walk to move forward by putting one foot in front of the other: I missed the bus so I decided to walk. | We’ve walked about eight miles today.
▪ wander to walk without any clear purpose or direction: They wandered around the narrow streets of the old city.
▪ stride to walk with long steps in a determined, confident, or angry way: A man in a suit came striding purposefully into the hall. | She strode onto the stage and began to address the audience.
▪ pace to walk first in one direction and then in another many times, especially because you are nervous: Nick was pacing up and down, waiting for the phone to ring.
▪ march to walk quickly with firm regular steps – used especially about soldiers or someone who is angry: The troops marched past with smart uniform and good discipline. | Sheila marched into the office and demanded an apology.
▪ wade to walk through deep water: We had to wade across the river.
▪ stomp to walk putting your feet down very hard, especially because you are angry: She turned and stomped off without looking back.
■ to walk quietly
▪ tiptoe to walk quietly and carefully on your toes because you do not want to make a noise: I tiptoed out trying not to wake the baby.
▪ creep to walk quietly and slowly because you do not want anyone to see or hear you: Stella crept up the stairs, hoping not to wake her parents.
▪ sneak to walk quietly so that no-one notices you, especially because you are doing something you should not do: They sneaked off without paying. | I quickly sneaked out to have a cigarette.
▪ pad to walk quietly without wearing shoes – also used about cats and dogs walking quietly: Michelle got up and padded barefoot down to the kitchen. | The cat padded in, asking for her food.
■ to walk slowly
▪ trudge /trʌdʒ/ to walk in a slow tired way because it is difficult to continue walking, or you do not want to go somewhere: The men trudged along the road, heads bent against the wind. | I’ve spent hours trudging around the shops looking for a present.
▪ plod to walk slowly in a tired way – often used about a horse, donkey etc: The donkey was plodding slowly along under its heavy load. | I plodded on growing thirstier and hungrier.
▪ shuffle to walk very slowly and noisily without lifting your feet off the ground: The old man got up and shuffled to the door.
■ to walk with difficulty
▪ limp to walk with difficulty because one leg hurts, so that you put most of your weight on the other leg: Jake was limping because of the injury to his knee.
▪ stagger to walk or move unsteadily, almost falling over, especially because you are drunk or have been injured: They finally staggered back to the hotel at 4 o'clock in the morning. | He hit her and she staggered and fell.
▪ hobble to walk with difficulty in a slow and unsteady way because your legs or feet hurt or have been injured: My new shoes were so painful I could only hobble along. | She hobbled out to the car on crutches.
■ to walk for pleasure
▪ take a walk (also go for a walk) to walk somewhere for pleasure: We went for a walk in the park.
▪ stroll (also go for a stroll) to walk in a relaxed way, especially for pleasure: People were strolling along beside the river. | On Sunday, they went for a stroll in the park.
▪ hike (also go hiking) to walk a long way in the mountains or countryside as an activity you enjoy: We’re going hiking in Scotland this summer. | They hiked around the Lake District. | Pat likes doing active things like hiking and horse-riding.
▪ trek (also go trekking) to go for a walk lasting several days or weeks in a faraway place, carrying your clothes with you: I’ve always wanted to go trekking in Nepal. | They trekked up to Everest Base Camp.
walk away phrasal verb
1. to leave a bad or difficult situation, instead of trying to make it better
walk away from
You can’t just walk away from 15 years of marriage!
When the business started to have problems, it was very tempting to walk away.
2. to come out of an accident or very bad situation without being harmed:
Miraculously, both drivers walked away without a scratch.
walk away with something phrasal verb informal
to win something easily:
And the lucky winner will walk away with a prize of £10,000.
walk in on somebody phrasal verb
to go into a room and accidentally interrupt someone who is doing something private that they would not want you to see
walk into something phrasal verb
1. to hit an object accidentally as you are walking along
walk straight/right/bang etc into something
Zeke wasn’t looking and walked straight into a tree.
2. if you walk into an unpleasant situation, you become involved in it without intending to:
He was fairly certain now that he was walking into a trap, and wished he’d come armed.
walk straight/right into something
I walked right into a mob of maybe 50 young white guys.
3. British English if you walk into a job, you get it very easily:
You can’t expect to walk straight into a job.
4. to make yourself look stupid when you could easily have avoided it if you had been more careful
walk straight/right into something
You walked right into that one!
walk off phrasal verb
1. to leave someone by walking away from them, especially in a rude or angry way:
Don’t just walk off when I’m trying to talk to you!
2. walk something ↔ off if you walk off an illness or unpleasant feeling, you go for a walk to make it go away:
Let’s go out – maybe I can walk this headache off.
walk off dinner/a meal etc (=go for a walk so that your stomach feels less full)
3. walk off (the/your etc job) American English to stop working as a protest:
Without new contracts, mine workers will walk off their jobs Thursday.
walk off with something phrasal verb informal
1. to win something easily:
Lottery winners can walk off with a cool £18 million.
2. to steal something or take something that does not belong to you:
Thieves walked off with two million dollars’ worth of jewellery.
walk out phrasal verb
1. to leave a place suddenly, especially because you disapprove of something:
The play was awful and we walked out after half an hour.
walk out of
the issue that led to the US walking out of the trade talks this week
2. to leave your husband, wife etc suddenly and go and live somewhere else:
Her husband walked out, leaving her with three children to look after.
walk out on
Five years later she walked out on Matthew and their two boys.
3. to leave your job suddenly because you no longer want to do it:
We’re so short-staffed. I can’t just walk out.
walk out of
If you can afford to walk out of your job, why not?
4. to stop working as a protest:
Workers are threatening to walk out if an agreement is not reached.
walk out on something phrasal verb
to stop doing something you have agreed to do or that you are responsible for:
‘I never walk out on a deal,’ Dee said.
walk over somebody phrasal verb
to treat someone badly by always making them do what you want them to do:
It’s terrible – she lets her kids just walk all over her.
II. walk2 S2 W2 BrE AmE noun
1. [countable] a journey that you make by walking, especially for exercise or enjoyment:
It’s a long walk. Maybe we should get the bus.
walk to/through/across etc
a walk through the castle grounds
2. [countable] a particular journey that you make by walking, especially one that goes through an interesting or attractive area:
He says he’s going on a long walk tomorrow.
Have you ever done the Three Peaks walk?
coastal/hill etc walk
There is a stunning 10-mile coastal walk from St Andrews to Crail.
3. [countable] an organized event when people walk for pleasure:
Let’s all go on the beach walk.
The local tourist office organises a number of guided walks.
4. [singular] the way someone walks SYN gait:
You can often recognize people by their walk.
5. [singular] when you walk rather than run:
Breathless, she slowed to a walk.
⇨ ↑walk of life, ⇨ sponsored walk at ↑sponsor2(5)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ go for a walk Let’s go for a walk on the beach.
▪ take/have a walk She took a walk through the town.
▪ take somebody/a dog for a walk Could you take the dog for a walk?
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + walk
▪ a long walk We went for a long walk in the woods.
▪ a short walk The house is only a short walk from local shops.
▪ a little walk I just felt like a little walk.
▪ a brisk walk A brisk walk will improve your circulation.
▪ an easy walk From here it is an easy walk to the summit.
▪ a five-mile/ten-kilometre etc walk He began the five-mile walk back to town.
▪ a five-minute/two-hour etc walk There’s a good restaurant a five-minute walk away.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say 'go a walk' or 'make a walk'. Say go for a walk.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ walk noun [countable] a journey that you make on foot, especially for exercise or enjoyment: I took the dog out for a long walk in the fresh air. | We went for some lovely walks. | Do you fancy going out for a walk?
▪ hike noun [countable] a long walk in the mountains or countryside: We went for a hike in the woods. | There are some good hikes nearby.
▪ stroll noun [singular] a slow, relaxed walk: Let’s take a stroll in the park. | We went for a stroll along the river.
▪ wander British English a short relaxed walk, especially to look around a place: We had a wander round the town and then went to the beach.
▪ trek noun [singular] used when talking about a long walk in the mountains, countryside etc which lasts for several days and which you do for pleasure. Also used about a long tiring walk somewhere, which you do not want to have to do : They went on a three week trek in the Atlas Mountains. | We then had a long trek back to our hotel with all our luggage.
▪ slog [singular] a long, tiring, and unpleasant walk, which continues for several hours: It was a dreary slog over bleak and windswept hills.
▪ march noun [countable] an occasion when a group of people walk somewhere together, in order to protest about something: Demonstrators are planning a march through the capital. | a peace march
walk out
walk out phrasal verb (see also ↑walk)
1. to leave a place suddenly, especially because you disapprove of something:
The play was awful and we walked out after half an hour.
walk out of
the issue that led to the US walking out of the trade talks this week
2. to leave your husband, wife etc suddenly and go and live somewhere else:
Her husband walked out, leaving her with three children to look after.
walk out on
Five years later she walked out on Matthew and their two boys.
3. to leave your job suddenly because you no longer want to do it:
We’re so short-staffed. I can’t just walk out.
walk out of
If you can afford to walk out of your job, why not?
4. to stop working as a protest:
Workers are threatening to walk out if an agreement is not reached.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
walk
walk [walk walks walked walking] verb, noun [wɔːk] [wɔːk]
verb
1. intransitive, transitive to move or go somewhere by putting one foot in front of the other on the ground, but without running
• The baby is just learning to walk.
• ‘How did you get here?’ ‘I walked.’
• + adv./prep. He walked slowly away from her.
• The door opened and Jo walked in.
• She missed the bus and had to walk home.
• The school is within easy walking distance of the train station.
• ~ sth Children here walk several miles to school.
2. (also go walking) (both especially BrE) intransitive, transitive to spend time walking for pleasure
• (+ adv./prep.) We're going walking in the mountains this summer.
• I walked across Scotland with a friend.
• ~ sth They love walking the moors.
3. transitive ~ sb + adv./prep. to go somewhere with sb on foot, especially in order to make sure they get there safely
• He always walked her home.
4. transitive ~ sth + adv./prep. to take an animal for a walk; to make an animal walk somewhere
• They walk their dogs every day.
• She walked the horse around the ring.
5. intransitive (informal) to disappear; to be taken away
• Lock up any valuables. Things tend to walk here (= be stolen).
6. intransitive (literary) (of a ghost) to appear
more at float/walk on air at air n., go/walk down the aisle at aisle, walk/tread a fine/thin line at line n., a trip/walk down memory lane at memory lane, be skating/walking on thin ice at thin adj., tread/walk a tightrope at tightrope
Word Origin:
Old English wealcan ‘roll, toss’, also ‘wander’, of Germanic origin. The sense ‘move about’, and specifically ‘go about on foot’, arose in Middle English.
Synonyms:
take
lead • escort • drive • show • walk • guide • usher • direct
These words all mean to go with sb from one place to another.
take • to go with sb from one place to another, for example in order to show them sth or to show them the way to a place: ▪ It's too far to walk— I'll take you by car.
lead • to go with or go in front of sb in order to show them the way or to make them go in the right direction: ▪ Firefighters led the survivors to safety.
escort • to go with sb in order to protect or guard them or to show them the way: ▪ The president arrived, escorted by twelve bodyguards.
drive • to take sb somewhere in a car, taxi, etc: ▪ My mother drove us to the airport.
show • to take sb to a particular place, in the right direction, or along the correct route: ▪ The attendant showed us to our seats.
walk • to go somewhere with sb on foot, especially in order to make sure that they get there safely; to take an animal, especially a dog, for a walk or make an animal walk somewhere: ▪ He always walked her home. ◊ ▪ Have you walked the dog yet today?
guide • to show sb the way to a place, often by going with them; to show sb a place that you know well: ▪ She guided us through the busy streets. ◊ ▪ We were guided around the museums.
usher • (rather formal) to politely take or show sb where they should go, especially within a building: ▪ She ushered her guests to their seats.
direct • (rather formal) to tell or show sb how to get somewhere or where to go: ▪ A young woman directed them to the station.
to take/lead/escort/drive/show/walk/guide/usher/direct sb to/out of/into sth
to take/lead/escort/drive/show/walk/guide sb around/round
to take/lead/escort/drive/walk sb home
to take/lead/escort/guide sb to safety
to lead/show the way
Vocabulary Building:
Ways of walking
creep▪ He could hear someone creeping around downstairs.
limp▪ One player limped off the field with a twisted ankle.
pace▪ I found him in the corridor nervously pacing up and down.
pad▪ She spent the morning padding about the house in her slippers.
plod▪ They wearily plodded home through the rain.
shuffle▪ The queue gradually shuffled forward.
stagger▪ They staggered out of the pub, completely drunk.
stomp▪ She stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
stroll▪ Families were strolling around the park.
tiptoe▪ They tiptoed upstairs so they wouldn’t wake the baby.
trudge▪ We trudged up the hill.
Example Bank:
• Due to his illness, he can no longer walk unaided.
• For our holiday we went walking in the Lake District.
• He walked home from school.
• I got up and walked calmly out into the early evening.
• Jake was walking some way ahead.
• She had no sandals and walked barefoot.
• She walked cautiously up the drive towards the door.
• The couple walked hand in hand along the beach.
• We went walking by the waterfront.
• When she walked onstage, the audience started screaming.
• humans' ability to walk upright
• ‘How did you get here?’ ‘I walked’.
• A couple were walking hand in hand along the path.
• Have you ever walked the Pennine Way?
• He walked straight past me when I called.
• He walked the pony up and down the yard.
• How long does it talk them to walk to school?
• I had to walk all the way home.
• I walked him to the corner of the street.
• She walks the dog every day at about two o'clock.
• The hotel is within easy walking distance of the beach.
• They walked barefoot through the cool grass.
• Try walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
• Walking in the countryside can be a great form of exercise.
• We're going walking in the mountains this summer.
• Women have to walk several miles each day to get water.
Idioms: run before you can walk ▪ walk free ▪ walk in the park ▪ walk it ▪ walk of life ▪ walk off the job ▪ walk somebody off their feet ▪ walk tall ▪ walk the beat ▪ walk the plank ▪ walk the streets ▪ walk the walk
Derived: walk away ▪ walk away with something ▪ walk in on somebody ▪ walk into somebody ▪ walk into something ▪ walk off ▪ walk off with something ▪ walk out ▪ walk over somebody ▪ walk somebody through something ▪ walk something off ▪ walk up
noun
1. countable a journey on foot, usually for pleasure or exercise
• Let's go for a walk.
• I like to have a walk in the evenings.
• She's taken the dog for a walk.
• He set out on the long walk home.
• The office is ten minutes' walk from here.
• a ten-minute walk
• It's only a short walk to the beach.
2. countable a path or route for walking, usually for pleasure; an organized event when people walk for pleasure
• a circular walk
• There are some interesting walks in the area.
• a guided walk around the farm
3. singular a way or style of walking; the act or speed of walking rather than running
• I recognized him by his walk.
• The horse slowed to a walk.
4. countable (NAmE) a sidewalk or path
Word Origin:
Old English wealcan ‘roll, toss’, also ‘wander’, of Germanic origin. The sense ‘move about’, and specifically ‘go about on foot’, arose in Middle English.
Example Bank:
• He has a mincing walk, fast with short steps.
• He met her on one of his Sunday afternoon walks.
• He's done several long-distance walks for charity.
• I had a little walk around to calm my nerves.
• It's a five-minute walk from the hotel to the restaurant.
• It's a good walk to the town centre, so I usually cycle.
• It's a good= fairly long walk to the beach.
• She did a silly walk to amuse her friends.
• She takes her dog for a walk every evening.
• She used to enjoy solitary walks along the cliffs.
• She's doing a 200-mile charity walk to raise money for cancer research.
• She's doing a 200-mile sponsored walk in aid of cancer research.
• The book contains circular walks you can do in half a day.
• The doctor advised a brisk walk every day.
• The horses set off at a walk.
• The walk takes two hours.
• The walk takes you past a lot of interesting buildings.
• They broke their walk at a pub by the river.
• We live just a few minutes' walk from the station.
• We took a brief walk around the old quarter.
• We went for a long walk after breakfast.
• We went on a guided walk of the city in the afternoon.
• We went on a ten-mile walk along the coast.
• We'll go for a walk before lunch.
• the anniversary of the first space walk
• He did a funny walk and made the children laugh.
• He moved with a slow, hesitant walk.
• I recognized her by her walk.
• It's only a short walk to the beach.
• Let's go for a walk.
• She's taken the dog for a walk.
• The office is ten minutes' walk from here.
• There are some interesting walks around here.
• You could tell from her walk that she was angry.
walk out
▪ I. ˌwalk ˈout derived
(informal) (of workers) to stop working in order to go on strike
related noun walkout
Main entry: walkderived
▪ II. ˌwalk ˈout (of sth) derived
to leave a meeting, performance, etc. suddenly, especially in order to show your disapproval
• They hinted that they would walk out of the peace talks.
Main entry: walkderived
▪ III. ˌwalk ˈout (on sb) derived
(informal) to suddenly leave sb that you are having a relationship with and that you have a responsibility for
Syn: desert
• How could she walk out on her kids?
Main entry: walkderived
▪ IV. ˌwalk ˈout (on sth) derived
(informal) to stop doing sth that you have agreed to do before it is completed
• I never walk out on a job half done.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
walk
walk /wɔːk/ US /wɑːk/
verb
1 [I or T] to move along by putting one foot in front of the other, allowing each foot to touch the ground before lifting the next:
I walked home.
A cat was walking along the top of the fence.
He walks two kilometres to work every morning.
See also jaywalk; sleepwalk at sleepwalker.
2 [T] To walk someone to a particular place is to walk with them until they have reached it, usually because you are being friendly or polite, wish to protect them from danger, or to show them the way:
He offered to walk her home/to the station.
3 [T] to take an animal, especially a dog, for a walk:
She walks the dog for an hour every afternoon.
4 [T] UK INFORMAL to pass or win something, such as an examination or game, easily:
She'll walk the interview - the job is practically hers already.
5 a walking disaster/encyclopedia, etc. someone who seems to be a human form of disaster/encyclopedia, etc:
You've broken another pair of glasses? - Oh, you're a walking disaster!
walk /wɔːk/ US /wɑːk/
noun
1 [C] a journey that you make by walking, often for enjoyment:
He went for/took a walk around the block, to get some air.
They went on a ten-mile walk to raise money for charity.
Every afternoon she takes her Grandad out for a walk.
See also boardwalk; catwalk; crosswalk; sidewalk; spacewalk.
2 [C] a path or route where people can walk for enjoyment:
Do you know any nice walks around here?
3 [S] a way of walking:
He's got a strange waddling sort of walk.
4 [S] walking speed:
She slowed the horses to a walk.
walker /ˈwɔː.kəʳ/ US /ˈwɑː.kɚ/
noun [C]
1 a person who walks, especially for exercise or enjoyment:
She's a very fast/slow walker.
They've been keen walkers ever since they read about the benefits of exercise.
2 US FOR Zimmer frame
walking /ˈwɔː.kɪŋ/ US /ˈwɑː-/
noun [U]
1 the activity of going for a walk, especially for pleasure in the countryside:
We're going walking in Wales for a week.
a pair of walking/hiking boots
a walking stick
2 the sport of fast long-distance walking
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
walk
/wɔ:k/
(walks, walking, walked)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
When you walk, you move forward by putting one foot in front of the other in a regular way.
Rosanna and Forbes walked in silence for some while...
She turned and walked away...
They would stop the car and walk a few steps...
When I was your age I walked five miles to school.
VERB: V, V prep/adv, V n, V n to n
2.
A walk is a journey that you make by walking, usually for pleasure.
I went for a walk...
He often took long walks in the hills.
N-COUNT
3.
A walk of a particular distance is the distance which a person has to walk to get somewhere.
It was only a three-mile walk to Kabul from there...
The church is a short walk from Piazza Dante.
N-SING: supp N, N of n
4.
A walk is a route suitable for walking along for pleasure.
There is a 2 mile coastal walk from Craster to Newton.
N-COUNT
5.
A walk is the action of walking rather than running.
She slowed to a steady walk.
N-SING: a N
6.
Someone’s walk is the way that they walk.
George, despite his great height and gangling walk, was a keen dancer.
N-SING: poss N
7.
If you walk someone somewhere, you walk there with them in order to show politeness or to make sure that they get there safely.
She walked me to my car...
= escort
VERB: V n prep/adv
8.
If you walk your dog, you take it for a walk in order to keep it healthy.
I walk my dog each evening around my local streets.
VERB: V n
9.
to be walking on air: see air
to walk tall: see tall
walk out
1.
If you walk out of a meeting, a performance, or an unpleasant situation, you leave it suddenly, usually in order to show that you are angry or bored.
Several dozen councillors walked out of the meeting in protest...
Mr. Mason walked out during the performance.
PHRASAL VERB: V P of n, V P
2.
If someone walks out on their family or their partner, they leave them suddenly and go to live somewhere else.
Her husband walked out on her...
PHRASAL VERB: V P on n
3.
If workers walk out, they stop doing their work for a period of time, usually in order to try to get better pay or conditions for themselves.
Nationwide industrial action began earlier this week, when staff at most banks walked out.
PHRASAL VERB: V P
