“If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run then walk. If you can’t walk then crawl but whatever you do, keep moving forward. – Martin Luther King Jr
English is such a varied and beautiful language. To walk is probably one of the first verbs you learnt. However, did you know there are different ways to express ‘to walk’? In today’s blog post we’ll look at 15 different ways to say ‘to walk’ in English.
It depends on the speed and also how you are feeling as well as explaining your situation.
For example if you are feeling happy, we wouldn’t say you walked happily but that you skipped with joy. This expresses so much more than walking happily.
Here are my top 15 verbs to use instead of ‘to walk’:
1) to shuffle
Meaning: to move your feet in very short movements without lifting them properly.
Example:
He didn’t want to go to the class so he shuffled his feet along the corridor taking as much time as he could.
An interesting expression which uses this verb: ‘to shuffle off one’s mortal coil’ which comes from Shakespeare in his play Hamlet and it means to die.
2) to tiptoe
Meaning: to walk on the balls of your feet only because you are trying to walk very quietly.
Example:
I tiptoed into the bedroom to not wake my sleeping baby.
3) To stomp:
Meaning: to walk very loudly by banging your feet on the ground.
Example:
He stomped into the room in a foul mood.
Another great expression that uses the root stomp is ‘stomping ground’, which we use to talk about a place that is very familiar to us and where we like to spend time.
4) To dawdle:
Meaning: to walk very slowly and idly to your destination.
Example:
Stop dawdling back there and hurry up! We’re going to be late!
5) To stagger:
Meaning: to not walk in a straight line; to put one foot in front of the other and then wobble to the side.
Example:
The drunk man staggered along the road trying to find his way home.
Check out the video below to see some of these verbs in action!
6) To limp:
Meaning: to not put your weight on one leg; to drag that foot a little bit and move very very slowly
Example:
He had an accident on his motorbike and had to limp home.
7) To waddle:
Meaning: to walk like a duck; with shorts steps swaying from side to side
When I was pregnant I was told I waddled along by my husband.
8) To meander:
Meaning: This really means to walk without any clear objective.
Example:
We meandered aimlessly for hours through the gorgeous old town of Rome.
9) To stroll:
Meaning: Usually when there is no definite plan or direction to the walk.
Example:
I strolled along the river Seine without a care in the world.
10) To wander:
Meaning: Similar to meander, we use it to describe a stroll, meander or just drift around.
Example:
We wandered around the shops in the station until it was time to board our train
There is a famous poem written by famous English poet William Wordsworth “I wandered lonely as a cloud…”
Click on the video below to see even more of these verbs in action!
11) To hike
Meaning: A much more energetic walk usually in the countryside, in the hills or low mountains.
Example:
I went on a hiking holiday last year in the Alps it was very tiring but extremely enjoyable.
12) To power walk:
Meaning: You really have to walk quickly and firmly to maximise the benefits. The arms swing in sequence with your legs. It is recommended as a way to lose some extra weight!
Example:
My neighbors power walk together every morning.
13) To stride:
Meaning: to walk purposefully and fast with long steps to your destination.
Example: she strode into the room on her long legs.
14) To march:
Meaning: like a soldier: quick and uniformed
Example:
He marched along the pavement with his children trailing behind him
15) To saunter:
Meaning: to walk in an idle, leisurely and slightly arrogant way.
Example:
He sauntered into the hotel like he owned the place.
Finally, I’d like to leave you with a very important expression which is: always remember to walk before you run. That is always what I tell students when learning a language. We always need to learn the basics before the more complicated parts of English and since you know the basic verbs (to walk, to run, to jog) now it’s time to level up your English and use the above 15 verbs in the right contexts.
My tip for you now to incorporate these fantastic verbs is to think of a good, personalised example with each of the verbs and actually use the examples in your future conversations in English.
Are you an Intrepid English Member? Why not try using these new verbs in your next lesson with an Intrepid English Teacher?