walker
1 Americannoun
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an enclosing framework on casters or wheels for supporting a baby who is learning to walk.
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a similar mobility aid, usually a waist-high four-legged framework of lightweight metal, for support or balance while walking.
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Informal. Usually Walker Walker hound.
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a person or thing that walks or likes to walk.
He's a great walker.
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Theater Slang. an extra or supernumerary.
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Slang. a musician required by a union contract to be hired and paid full salary even when not needed for performance.
noun
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Alice, born 1944, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
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David, 1785–1830, U.S. abolitionist.
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James John Jimmy, 1881–1946, U.S. politician: mayor of New York City 1926–32.
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John, born 1952, New Zealand track-and-field athlete.
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Sarah Breedlove 1867–1919, U.S. businesswoman and philanthropist.
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a city in W Michigan.
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a male given name.
noun
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a person who walks
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Also called: baby walker. a tubular frame on wheels or castors to support a baby learning to walk
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a similar support for walking, often with rubber feet, for use by disabled or infirm people
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a woman's escort at a social event
let me introduce my walker for tonight
noun
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Alice ( Malsenior ). born 1944, US writer: her works include In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women (1973) and the novels Meridian (1976), The Color Purple (1982), and Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992)
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Sir John. born 1952, New Zealand middle-distance runner, the first athlete to run one hundred sub-four-minute miles
Etymology
Origin of walker
Explanation
If you get from one place to another using the power of your own two legs, you're a walker. Whether you stroll, saunter, or stride, you can still describe yourself as a walker. You can also call a walker a pedestrian, or if they walk on wooded trails and up hilly slopes, a hiker. There's an entirely different meaning of this word as well — a walker is also a supportive frame that elderly people or people with disabilities can use to help them get around. Even if you use a walker for stability when you walk, you're still a walker!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But when hill walker Simon Lucas shared a photograph of the tradition on social media, he was unprepared for the ferocity of the response.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
“My day is Monday. I’m a walker on certain days,” Nelson said.
From Salon • Mar. 2, 2026
Slover, with the aid of a walker, entered the gallery.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026
If a decline in mobility is detected, it might suggest a walker.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026
Abby was slow when she had her walker; it was far worse now.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.