walk-on

American  

[wawk-on, -awn] / ˈwɔkˌɒn, -ˌɔn /

noun

1. Also called walking part.  a small part in a play or other entertainment, especially one without speaking lines.

2. an entertainer or actor who plays such a part.

3. an athlete trying out for a team who has not been drafted, specifically invited, scouted, awarded a scholarship, etc.

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walk-on British  

noun

1. 1. a small part in a play or theatrical entertainment, esp one without any lines

   2. ( as modifier )

      a walk-on part

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adjective

1. (of an aircraft or air service) having seats to be booked immediately before departure rather than in advance

Etymology

Origin of walk-on

First recorded in 1900–05; noun use of verb phrase walk on

Example Sentences

But she failed to hear her husband Mark's voice on a phone call with Kathy, or see her son's walk-on cameo at the Queen Vic.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

At Notre Dame: The movie “Rudy” immortalizes a real-life 1975 Notre Dame-Georgia Tech game in which a walk-on football player and a teammate sacked the opposing quarterback, helping the Fighting Irish win 24-3.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

That makes me excited to wake up and do the whole, like, walk-on or whatever.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

Sakai gained the support of the Alexandra Palace crowd with a long, exuberant walk-on and was a showman who played up to the fans throughout his match.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

If they are to have anything more than a mere walk-on part, they should very quickly explain themselves.

From The Lure of the Pen A book for Would-Be Authors by Klickmann, Flora

Related Words

• artist
• character
• clown
• comedian
• entertainer
• performer
• player
• star
• villain