stalk

1
[ stawk ]
See synonyms for: stalkstalkedstalkingstalker on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the stem or main axis of a plant.

  2. any slender supporting or connecting part of a plant, as the petiole of a leaf, the peduncle of a flower, or the funicle of an ovule.

  1. a similar structural part of an animal.

  2. a stem, shaft, or slender supporting part of anything.

  3. Automotive. a slender lever, usually mounted on or near the steering wheel, that is used by the driver to control a signal or function: The horn button is on the turn-signal stalk.

Origin of stalk

1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English stalk(e), apparently equivalent to Old English stal(u) “stave” + -k diminutive suffix; akin to Norwegian dialect stalk, Swedish stjelk, Danish stilk

Other words from stalk

  • stalklike, adjective

Words Nearby stalk

Other definitions for stalk (2 of 2)

stalk2
[ stawk ]

verb (used without object)
  1. to pursue or approach prey, quarry, etc., stealthily.

  2. to walk with measured, stiff, or haughty strides: He was so angry he stalked away without saying goodbye.

  1. to proceed in a steady, deliberate, or sinister manner: Famine stalked through the nation.

  2. Obsolete. to walk or go stealthily along.

verb (used with object)
  1. to pursue (game, a person, etc.) stealthily.

  2. to proceed through (an area) in search of prey or quarry: to stalk the woods for game.

  1. to proceed or spread through in a steady or sinister manner: Disease stalked the land.

noun
  1. an act or course of stalking quarry, prey, or the like: We shot the mountain goat after a five-hour stalk.

  2. a slow, stiff stride or gait.

Origin of stalk

2
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb stalken, representing the base of Old English bestealcian “to move stealthily”; akin to steal

Other words from stalk

  • stalk·a·ble, adjective
  • stalker, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use stalk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stalk (1 of 2)

stalk1

/ (stɔːk) /


noun
  1. the main stem of a herbaceous plant

  2. any of various subsidiary plant stems, such as a leafstalk (petiole) or flower stalk (peduncle)

  1. a slender supporting structure in animals such as crinoids and certain protozoans, coelenterates, and barnacles

  2. any long slender supporting shaft or column

Origin of stalk

1
C14: probably a diminutive formed from Old English stalu upright piece of wood; related to Old Frisian staal handle

Derived forms of stalk

  • stalked, adjective
  • stalkless, adjective
  • stalklike, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for stalk (2 of 2)

stalk2

/ (stɔːk) /


verb
  1. to follow or approach (game, prey, etc) stealthily and quietly

  2. to pursue persistently and, sometimes, attack (a person with whom one is obsessed, often a celebrity)

  1. to spread over (a place) in a menacing or grim manner: fever stalked the camp

  2. (intr) to walk in a haughty, stiff, or threatening way: he stalked out in disgust

  3. to search or draw (a piece of land) for prey

noun
  1. the act of stalking

  2. a stiff or threatening stride

Origin of stalk

2
Old English bestealcian to walk stealthily; related to Middle Low German stolkeren, Danish stalke

Derived forms of stalk

  • stalker, noun

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

Scientific definitions for stalk

stalk

[ stôk ]


  1. The main stem of a plant.

  2. A slender structure that supports a plant part, such as a flower or leaf.

  1. A slender supporting structure in certain other organisms, such as the reproductive structure in plasmodial slime molds or the part of a mushroom below the cap.

  2. A slender supporting or connecting part of an animal, such as the eyestalk of a lobster.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.