walkabout

[ wawk-uh-bout ]

noun

1. Chiefly British.
   1. a walking tour.
   2. an informal public stroll taken by members of the royal family or by a political figure for the purpose of greeting and being seen by the public.
2. Australian.
   1. a brief, informal leave from work, taken by an Aboriginal person to wander the bush, visit relatives, or return to Native life.
   2. absence from work.

walkabout

/ ˈwɔːkəˌbaʊt /

noun

1. a periodic nomadic excursion into the Australian bush made by a native Australian
2. a walking tour
3. an occasion when celebrities, royalty, etc, walk among and meet the public
4. go walkabout
   1. to wander through the bush
   2. to be lost or misplaced
   3. to lose one's concentration

Word History and Origins

Origin of walkabout¹

First recorded in 1905–10; noun use of verb phrase walk about

Example Sentences

The route: Sip your morning coffee as you watch some of the best surfing along the 200-mile SoCal Coast walkabout, with experts farther out catching waves up to 10 to 15 feet.

From Los Angeles Times

Not as much as Americans, who Smith jovially admitted to taking pains to avoid in her walkabouts.

From Salon

As good a place to start in that regard might be Trump’s defense of his verbal walkabouts during a town hall meeting last week in Michigan with Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders:

From Los Angeles Times

He was joined on the visit by the queen, and went on impromptu walkabouts, meeting staff who had stopped to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.

From Seattle Times

“The lake went for a walkabout,” Abby Wines, a park ranger at Death Valley National Park, said in an interview on Thursday.

From New York Times

Related Words

• backpacking
• trek
• trip