jaywalk

verb

jay·​walk ˈjā-ˌwȯk How to pronounce jaywalk (audio)
jaywalked; jaywalking; jaywalks

intransitive verb

: to cross a street carelessly or in an illegal manner so as to be endangered by traffic
jaywalker noun

Examples of jaywalk in a Sentence

The police officer warned us not to jaywalk.
Recent Examples on the Web And in October, the California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended permits for driverless car company Cruise after one of its cars dragged a jaywalking pedestrian about 20 feet after she had been hit by a regular car. Jeremy B. Merrill, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2023 Almost no one is arrested for jaywalking, of course. Adam Liptak, New York Times, 6 Nov. 2023 In October, 1991, he was stopped by the police for jaywalking in downtown Oakland. Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023 Portland police later stopped Cummins for jaywalking near Southwest Broadway and Oak Street Aug. 30. Austindedios, oregonlive, 14 Sep. 2023 The reasons to revoke jaywalking laws are similar, Volland said. Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Aug. 2023 The ordinance would decriminalize jaywalking for pedestrians. Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Aug. 2023 Herzberg was struck while jaywalking in Tempe on Mill Avenue near Curry Road in 2018. Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 28 July 2023 One evening in June, a Minsk resident was out for a walk when she was approached by the police, who reprimanded her for a simple administrative violation, less serious than jaywalking. Valerie Hopkins, BostonGlobe.com, 22 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jaywalk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jaywalk was in 1915

Dictionary Entries Near jaywalk

Cite this Entry

“Jaywalk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jaywalk. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jaywalk

verb
jay·​walk ˈjā-ˌwȯk How to pronounce jaywalk (audio)
: to cross a street carelessly without paying attention to traffic regulations
jaywalker noun

Legal Definition

jaywalk

intransitive verb
jay·​walk ˈjā-ˌwȯk How to pronounce jaywalk (audio)
: to cross a street carelessly or in an illegal manner so as to be endangered by traffic

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