Walkers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who travel by foot for leisure, exercise, or transportation ; devices designed to aid people with walking difficulties by providing stability and support
2. Persons moving on foot typically for health or enjoyment ; frames or apparatuses used to help those with mobility challenges to move more easily
3. Humans going on foot for physical activity or transit purposes ; mechanical or structural aids that assist individuals in walking when they have impaired mobility

Etymology: "Walkers" is simply the plural of "walker," which the source traces to Middle English "walkere," meaning one who walks or a traveller. That earlier sense is still visible in the noun's first meaning, a person going on foot for exercise or pleasure, and the word was built from "walk" plus the agent suffix "-er," the same ending found in "baker" or "reader." The second sense, a frame used by people with mobility difficulties, is a much more recent extension. It describes an object that does the walking-support job rather than a person doing the walking, so the same suffix now names a device instead of a traveller. The plural form "walkers" carries both meanings, so a sentence can refer to hikers or to aids depending on context.

Synonyms: strollers, hikers, ramblers, pedestrians, wanderers

Antonyms: drivers, runners, flyers, cyclists, movers