go walkabout
phrase
1
: to journey or tour on foot : to go on a walkabout
… a walkabout was a useful holiday. My people did not go walkabout at random. They went to pastures that were not new to them.—Margaret Tucker
The Royal couple then went walkabout, meeting pupils and teachers …—Marilyn Barber
2
British, informal + sometimes offensive; see usage paragraph below
—used to say that something or someone cannot be found as if due to having walked or wandered away
They knew I would be watching for that first typo in a headline … or a word that went walkabout thanks to an inadvertent stroke of the delete key.—Jill Davis
Those close to the team say he can lose concentration and make mistakes. … Some describe his starting skills as "a bit random; he goes walkabout in his head sometimes …"—The New Zealand Herald
First Nations women are killed at the hands of "violent, racist, hate-filled men," and families of those missing have been ignored by police and told their loved one had "gone walkabout," Mr Hodgson told the inquiry.—Kiera Jenkins
Usage of Go Walkabout
The general use of the phrase go walkabout as a slightly humorous way of saying go missing is unlikely to give offense. However, when a member of the Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people of Australia is said to have "gone walkabout" in a way that evokes negative stereotypes about the community's work ethic or that dismisses concerns about the person's absence or disappearance, the phrase is widely considered offensive.
Cite this Entry
“Go walkabout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20walkabout. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.
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