walkabout

noun

walk·​about ˈwȯ-kə-ˌbau̇t How to pronounce walkabout (audio)
1
: a short period of wandering bush life engaged in by an Australian aborigine as an occasional interruption of regular work
often used in the phrase go walkabout
the man who went walkabout was making a ritual journeyBruce Chatwin
2
: something (such as a journey) similar to a walkabout
3
: a walking tour
especially, British : one in which a well-known person mingles with the public
went walkabout in the streets

Examples of walkabout in a Sentence

Many people gathered to meet the Queen during her walkabout.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The video begins with a clip of William and Kate during a walkabout on The Mall, by Buckingham Palace, in London, on May 5, 2023, one day before King Charles III's coronation. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024 The piece notes the similarities between the black-and-white dress the marchioness wore to the ceremony and an outfit the princess wore during a walkabout the previous day — and the fact that both women wore the same type of shoes (Bow Tie Pump 105 heels by Aquazzura). Ellie Hall, Vulture, 9 July 2024 Trump’s rhetorical walkabouts: A sign of ‘genius’ or cognitive decline? Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2024 With that motivation, Love said, starting with emphasizing the need for a better regular season than the team’s eighth-place walkabout last season, which ultimately resulted in a first-round playoff ouster. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for walkabout 

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of walkabout was in 1897

Dictionary Entries Near walkabout

Cite this Entry

“Walkabout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/walkabout. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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