What does walkover mean?
Walkover is an informal word for an effortless victory or for someone or something that can be defeated with little difficulty. The expression also has a more specific historical use in horse racing for a race in which only one competitor starts, making the result virtually certain. In modern usage, it commonly describes a sporting contest, election, examination, or competition in which one side has a decisive advantage. As a verb, “walk over” can mean to defeat an opponent easily or, in another sense, to surrender. The noun is especially associated with British English but is understood throughout the English-speaking world. Its tone is informal and often implies that the contest was so one-sided that it lacked real significance. “Walkover” is useful when describing an outcome that was not genuinely contested rather than merely a victory that happened to be comfortable.
An easy or effortless victory; a person, team, or opponent that can be defeated very easily.
"The election was a walkover from the beginning."
Informal and especially common in British English. In its older racing sense, it refers to a race in which only one competitor starts.
To defeat someone very easily; in another sense, to surrender or give in.
"The champions walked over their exhausted opponents in the final."
Usually written as the two-word phrasal verb “walk over.” The sense meaning to surrender is especially associated with British and Irish English.
The regular plural is “walkovers.”
"The team suffered two walkovers before the tournament ended."
Walkover began in horse racing, where a race could effectively be won without a serious contest.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does walkover come from?
Walkover is a nineteenth-century English compound formed from “walk” and “over.” Its earliest association was with horse racing, where a race that could effectively be walked rather than run came to mean an uncontested or virtually certain victory. The expression later broadened to describe any effortless win or easily defeated opponent. The element “walk” has Germanic ancestry, while “over” derives from Old English “ofer.”
Related word forms
How walkover is actually used
The noun is informal and is especially associated with British English, though it is also understood in American English. It has a slightly dismissive or sporting tone and often implies that the contest was not meaningful. The verb “walk over” is informal and can sound contemptuous when used of a person or team; in the sense of surrender, it is more commonly used in British and Irish English.
Easily confused with walkover
A walk-through is a guided tour or a step-by-step explanation, whereas a walkover is an effortless victory or an easily defeated opponent.