Walk out meaning
Walk out means to leave a meeting or show suddenly because you are angry or unhappy. It can also mean to stop working to protest, as a group.
walk out
walk out · walked · walking
Half the audience walked out before the end of the film.
Walk out meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Leave a meeting or show suddenly because you are angry or unhappy
walk out
- Half the audience walked out before the end of the film.
- He shouted at the boss and walked out of the meeting.
- Why did you walk out like that?
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2
Stop working to protest, as a group
walk out
- The nurses walked out over pay.
- Thousands of workers walked out this morning.
- Will the drivers walk out again next week?
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3
Suddenly leave your partner or family (walk out on someone)
walk out somebody or something
- Her dad walked out on the family when she was two.
- You can’t just walk out on me!
- He walked out on his job after one day.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use walk out in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is walk out separable?
Walk out has no object. Add of for the place: She walked out of the room. Add on for the person or job you leave: walk out on someone.
The noun walkout, one word, means a strike or a group leaving in protest: a teachers’ walkout.
Verb tenses for walk out
| Present | I walk out · she walks out |
|---|---|
| Past | walked out |
| Present perfect | have walked out |
| -ing form | walking out |
Common mistakes with walk out
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: He walked out from the meeting.
Right: He walked out of the meeting.
Use of for the place you leave.
Wrong: She walked out her husband.
Right: She walked out on her husband.
For a person you leave, use walk out on.
Wrong: The workers walked out for protest the pay.
Right: The workers walked out in protest at the pay.
The phrase is in protest at (UK) or in protest over.
Synonyms and opposites of walk out
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- storm outleave a room very angrily and noisily
- go on strikestop working to protest; more neutral
- leavethe general word; walk out adds anger or protest
Opposite
- stayremain in a place until the end
- stand bystay loyal to someone
Walk out quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1The play was so bad that we ___ after twenty minutes.
Walk out means leave a show or meeting because you are unhappy.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Use walk out of before the place.
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3“The factory workers walked out this morning.” What happened?
When workers walk out, they stop working to protest.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- get outA2leave a car, a room or a building
- take outA2remove something from a bag, a box, a pocket or a place
- put outB1stop a fire, a cigarette or a light from burning or shining
- go outA1leave your home to do something fun
- come outB1become available to buy, watch or read, like a book or film
- look outB1be careful, because something bad may happen
- give outB1give something to each of a number of people
- turn outB2happen or end in a particular way
Walk out FAQ
Questions people ask about walk out.
What does walk out on someone mean?
It means suddenly leave a partner or family, often for good. It is a strong, negative phrase: He walked out on his wife and kids.
What is a walkout?
A walkout is a protest where workers or students leave together. The union called a one-day walkout.
Walk out vs storm out: what is the difference?
Both mean leave because you are angry. Storm out is louder and more dramatic, maybe with a slammed door.
Use walk out in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.