Jaywalker
//ˈd͡ʒeɪ.wɔkɚ// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who violates pedestrian traffic regulations by crossing a street away from a designated crossing or who walks on the part of the street intended for vehicles instead of the part designated for pedestrians. US
- 2 a reckless pedestrian who crosses a street illegally wordnet
Example
More examples"A jaywalker exposes himself to great danger."
Etymology
From jay (“a stupid person”) + walker; jay walker (“a pedestrian who doesn't pay attention to the road, endangering themselves and obstructing horses, carts, and automobiles”). First use appears c. 1917 in Harper's Magazine. Coined in analogy to the older turn-of-the-20th-century term jay driver (“a driver who doesn't pay attention to the road, endangering horses, carts, bicyclists, and pedestrians”). Promoted by driving enthusiasts and automotive concerns to clear the roads of obstructive pedestrians by making it illegal to walk in the middle of roads.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.