What does catwalk mean?
A catwalk is a narrow, elevated walkway, and the word is best known today in its figurative extension: the long, raised platform on which fashion models parade new designs before an audience. The two senses share the same essential idea — a confined, often high path that must be walked with care. In theatres, factories, ships, and bridges, catwalks give workers access to areas above or below the main floor. In the fashion world, however, the catwalk has become a symbol of glamour and exclusivity, so much so that phrases like 'catwalk show' and verbs like 'to catwalk' evoke style, confidence, and spectacle. Designers stage their most important collections there, and supermodels are judged by their ability to command it. Whether describing backstage scaffolding or haute couture, the word carries a vivid image of a single narrow path, elevated above ordinary ground, demanding poise from whoever walks it.
nounA narrow, elevated walkway, especially one along a bridge or in a theatre or factory; also the raised platform on which fashion models display clothes during a show.
- A raised platform along which models walk to display clothing at a fashion show.
- A narrow, elevated walkway giving access to parts of a structure such as a bridge, theatre, ship, or factory.
"The models strode confidently down the catwalk in the season's boldest designs."
"She made her debut on the Paris catwalk at just sixteen years old."
"Maintenance workers crossed the catwalk beneath the bridge to inspect the cables."
Regular plural formation.
"The factory's maintenance crew inspected several catwalks during the safety audit."
The fashion 'catwalk' got its name from the way models were said to move — with the smooth, careful tread of a cat.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of catwalk
Catwalk is an English compound of 'cat' and 'walk', first recorded in the nineteenth century. The name likely reflects both the narrowness of such walkways and the sure-footed, feline care required to traverse them. The compound uses the native English word 'cat', which derives from Old English 'catt' and shares distant origins with Latin 'cattus'. The fashion sense arose in the twentieth century as designers borrowed the term from theatrical and industrial usage.
How catwalk is actually used
The fashion sense is now dominant in everyday usage and media coverage, though the industrial and theatrical sense remains standard in technical contexts. The word is neutral in register and common in both British and American English.
Easily confused with catwalk
A runway is any paved strip for aircraft takeoff and landing (or a generic model platform), while catwalk specifically denotes a narrow elevated walkway or the fashion-show platform.