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REFERENCE

walk

v. · n.
US //ˈwɑk// UK //wˈɔːk// walk
  1. 1 to move on foot (v.)
    A1 Beginner

    to move along by putting one foot in front of the other.

    to move on foot by setting each foot forward alternately, ensuring at least one foot is always in contact with the ground.

    Example

    I usually walk to the office because it is close to my house.

    Example

    The doctor advised him to walk for at least thirty minutes every day to improve his cardiovascular health and general mobility.
  2. 2 to accompany someone (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    to go with someone or an animal while they are walking.

    to accompany or escort a person or animal on a journey on foot. Transitive — takes a direct object.

    Example

    It is getting dark, so I will walk you to the bus stop.

    Example

    She makes a point of walking her dog through the park every evening, regardless of the weather conditions.
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  1. 3 to quit or leave (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    to leave a job or a situation suddenly, often because you are unhappy.

    to resign from a position or abandon a situation abruptly as a form of protest or due to dissatisfaction.

    Example

    If they don't give him a pay rise, he might just walk.

    Example

    After the board rejected her proposal for the third time, the lead architect decided to walk, leaving the project without a director.
  2. 4 to go missing (v.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    to be stolen or to disappear mysteriously.

    to be stolen or removed without permission; often used for small items that disappear from a workplace.

    Example

    I left my pen on the desk, but it seems to have walked.

    Example

    The manager noticed that several expensive tools tended to walk whenever the night shift was left unsupervised.
  3. 5 a trip on foot (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    a journey you make by walking, often for pleasure or exercise.

    an instance of walking for recreation, exercise, or as a means of travel.

    Example

    We went for a long walk in the woods on Sunday afternoon.

    Example

    A brisk walk in the morning air proved to be the perfect remedy for his lingering fatigue.
  4. 6 a path (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a route or track built for people to walk on.

    a designated path, sidewalk, or pedestrian thoroughfare.

    Example

    The garden has a beautiful gravel walk that leads to the fountain.

    Example

    The estate features several shaded walks that wind through the ancient oak forest, providing a cool retreat during the summer months.
  5. 7 style of moving (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the particular way that a person walks.

    an individual's characteristic manner or gait while walking.

    Example

    I knew it was him from a distance because of his unusual walk.

    Example

    The actor spent weeks studying the king's heavy, deliberate walk to ensure his performance was historically convincing.
  6. 8 baseball (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate American English Sport

    when a batter gets to go to first base because the pitcher threw four bad balls.

    an award of first base to a batter after the pitcher throws four pitches outside the strike zone.

    Example

    The pitcher gave up a walk, and now the bases are full.

    Example

    With two outs in the ninth inning, the pitcher's unexpected walk allowed the tying run to reach base.
    • base on balls
Etymology 1

From Middle English walken (“to move, walk, roll, turn, revolve, toss”), a conflation of Old English wealcan (“to move round, revolve, roll, turn, toss”) (ġewealcan (“to go, traverse”)) and Old English wealcian (“to curl, roll up”); both from Proto-West Germanic walkan, from Proto-Germanic walkaną, walkōną (“to twist, turn, roll about, full”), from Proto-Indo-European walg- (“to twist, turn, move”). Cognate with Scots walk (“to walk”), Saterland Frisian walkje (“to full; drum; flex; mill”), West Frisian swalkje (“to wander, roam”), Dutch walken (“to full, work hair or felt”), Dutch zwalken (“to wander about”), German walken (“to flex, full, mill, drum”), Danish valke (“to waulk, full”), Latin valgus (“bandy-legged, bow-legged”), Sanskrit वल्गति (válgati, “amble, bound, leap, dance”). More at vagrant and whelk. Doublet of waulk.

Etymology 2

From Middle English walk, walke, walc, from Old English wealc (as in Old English wealcspinl) and ġewealc (“a rolling motion, attack”), from Proto-Germanic walką. Cognate with Icelandic válk (“a rolling around, a tossing to and fro, trouble, distress”).

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