Walk vs. Strut — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 23, 2024
Walking is a basic form of locomotion characterized by a relaxed, straightforward manner, whereas strutting involves a more pronounced, often confident or showy manner of walking, emphasizing posture and attitude.
Difference Between Walk and Strut
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Walking is a fundamental human movement, involving a simple, rhythmic stride that serves the practical purpose of getting from one place to another. Whereas, strutting is a specific style of walking that is bolder and more deliberate, typically meant to convey confidence and often associated with attracting attention.
While walking is generally considered a casual and necessary activity, strutting suggests a level of self-assurance and is sometimes seen as flamboyant or assertive. This makes strutting less about the physical need to move and more about expression.
In terms of posture, walking does not necessarily require a particular stance; people of all ages walk with varying degrees of posture alignment. On the other hand, strutting usually involves a straightened back, puffed chest, and a more pronounced use of the limbs, projecting an air of confidence or even arrogance.
Walking is an activity that all able-bodied humans do naturally without need for practice, suitable for various environments and situations. Conversely, strutting is often rehearsed or performed, seen in scenarios like fashion runways, parades, or when someone wants to make a strong impression.
The societal perception of walking is neutral; it's a universally recognized and essential activity. Strutting, however, can receive mixed reactions depending on the context viewed positively in performances or fashion, while possibly considered ostentatious or pompous in everyday situations.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A basic mode of human locomotion.
A confident, sometimes showy way of walking.
Purpose
Functional movement from one point to another.
To display confidence or attract attention.
Posture
Casual, varies widely.
Often upright, with pronounced movements.
Perception
Neutral, necessary.
Can be positive or negative, depending on context.
Usage
Everyday activity for all ages.
Often in performances, fashion, or to impress.
Compare with Definitions
Walk
Moving at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn.
He enjoyed walking through the park every morning.
Strut
Walking in a stiff, swaggering manner as a display of importance.
The peacock strutted around the garden, showing off its feathers.
Walk
Does not require specific posture; natural for humans.
Walking to work is part of her daily routine.
Strut
Common in scenarios meant to impress or entertain.
The band's lead guitarist strutted across the stage during the solo.
Walk
Suitable for various environments, from cities to nature trails.
They went walking in the woods to unwind.
Strut
A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension.
Walk
Considered a low-impact, beneficial exercise.
Doctors recommend walking to improve cardiovascular health.
Strut
A rod or bar forming part of a framework and designed to resist compression
A spindly framework of long, slender struts, girders, and bracing wire
A supporting strut
Walk
Universally accessible and practiced without need for deliberation.
Walking the dog is both exercise and relaxation.
Strut
A stiff, erect, and apparently arrogant or conceited gait
That old confident strut and swagger has returned
Walk
Move at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn, never having both feet off the ground at once
She turned and walked a few paces
I walked across the lawn
Strut
Walk with a stiff, erect, and apparently arrogant or conceited gait
She strutted down the catwalk
Peacocks strut through the grounds
Walk
Guide, accompany, or escort (someone) on foot
He walked her home to her door
A meeting to walk parents through the complaint process
Strut
Brace (something) with a strut or struts
The holes were close-boarded and strutted
Walk
(of a thing) go missing or be stolen
Customers have to leave a deposit to ensure the beer glasses don't walk
Strut
To walk with pompous bearing; swagger.
Walk
Abandon or suddenly withdraw from a job or commitment
He was in place as the male lead but walked at the eleventh hour
Strut
To display in order to impress others. Sometimes used with out
Don't strut out your resume until you have more accomplishments to list.
Walk
(of a batsman) leave the field without waiting to be given out by the umpire.
Strut
To provide (a structure) with a strut or struts.
Walk
Reach first base automatically after not hitting at four balls pitched outside the strike zone.
Strut
To brace or separate with a strut.
Walk
(of a ghost) be visible; appear
The ghosts of Bannockburn walked abroad
Strut
A pompous, self-important gait.
Walk
Live or behave in a particular way
Walk humbly with your God
Strut
A structural element used to brace or strengthen a framework by resisting stress or compression.
Walk
An act of travelling or an outing on foot
He was too restless to sleep, so he went out for a walk
Strut
(intransitive) Of a peacock or other fowl: to stand or walk stiffly, with the tail erect and spread out.
Walk
A route recommended or marked out for recreational walking
There are picnic places and waymarked walks
Strut
To walk haughtily or proudly with one's head held high.
He strutted about the yard, thinking himself master of all he surveyed.
Walk
An unhurried rate of movement on foot
They crossed the field at a leisurely walk
Strut
To walk across or on (a stage or other place) haughtily or proudly.
Walk
A part of a forest under one keeper.
Strut
Often followed by out: to protuberate or stick out due to being full or swollen; to bulge, to swell.
Walk
A farm where a hound puppy is trained.
Strut
Often followed by out: to cause (something) to bulge, protrude, or swell.
Walk
An instance of reaching first base automatically after not hitting at four balls pitched outside the strike zone.
Strut
To brace or support (something) by a strut or struts; to hold (something) in place or strengthen by a diagonal, transverse, or upright support.
Walk
A flock of snipe.
Strut
(intransitive) To be attached diagonally or at a slant; also, to be bent at a sharp angle.
Walk
To move over a surface by taking steps with the feet at a pace slower than a run
A baby learning to walk.
A horse walking around a riding ring.
Strut
A step or walk done stiffly and with the head held high, often due to haughtiness or pride; affected dignity in walking.
Walk
To go or travel on foot
Walked to the store.
Strut
(historical) An instrument for adjusting the pleats of a ruff.
Walk
To go on foot for pleasure or exercise; stroll
Walked along the beach looking for shells.
Strut
A beam or rod providing support.
Walk
To move in a manner suggestive of walking
Saw a woodpecker walking up the tree trunk.
Strut
An act of angle]]; specifically, deviation (of the spoke of a wheel) from the normal position.
Walk
To conduct oneself or behave in a particular manner; live
Walks in majesty and pride.
Strut
(obsolete) Swelling out due to being full; bulging, protuberant, swollen.
Walk
To appear as a supernatural being
The specter of famine walks through the land.
Strut
Drunk, intoxicated; fou.
Walk
To go out on strike.
Strut
To swell; to bulge out.
The bellying canvas strutted with the gale.
Walk
To resign from one's job abruptly; quit.
Strut
To walk with a lofty, proud gait, and erect head; to walk with affected dignity.
Does he not hold up his head, . . . and strut in his gait?
Walk
To be acquitted
The alleged killer walked.
Strut
The act of strutting; a pompous step or walk.
Walk
(Baseball) To go to first base after the pitcher has thrown four pitches ruled as balls.
Strut
In general, any piece of a frame which resists thrust or pressure in the direction of its own length. See Brace, and Illust. of Frame, and Roof.
Walk
(Basketball) To move illegally while holding the ball; travel.
Strut
Any part of a machine or structure, of which the principal function is to hold things apart; a brace subjected to compressive stress; - the opposite of stay, and tie.
Walk
(Obsolete) To be in constant motion.
Strut
Protuberant.
Walk
To go or pass over, on, or through by walking
Walk the financial district of a city.
Strut
Struthious.
Walk
To bring to a specified condition by walking
They walked me to exhaustion.
Strut
A proud stiff pompous gait
Walk
To cause to walk or proceed at a walk
Walk a horse uphill.
Strut
Brace consisting of a bar or rod used to resist longitudinal compression
Walk
To accompany in walking; escort on foot
Walk the children home.
Walked me down the hall.
Strut
To walk with a lofty proud gait, often in an attempt to impress others;
He struts around like a rooster in a hen house
Walk
To traverse on foot in order to survey or measure; pace off
Walked the bounds of the property.
Strut
Often involves a conspicuous posture to draw attention.
He strutted into the room, commanding everyone's attention.
Walk
To move (a heavy or cumbersome object) in a manner suggestive of walking
Walked the bureau into the hall.
Strut
Associated with confidence or arrogance.
She strutted down the runway with undeniable confidence.
Walk
To allow (a batter) to go to first base by throwing four pitches ruled as balls.
Strut
Sometimes viewed as pretentious or overly proud.
His strut at the office party seemed a bit over the top.
Walk
To cause (a run) to score by walking a batter. Often used with in.
Walk
The gait of a human or other biped in which the feet are lifted alternately with one part of a foot always on the ground.
Walk
The gait of a quadruped in which at least two feet are always touching the ground, especially the gait of a horse in which the feet touch the ground in the four-beat sequence of near hind foot, near forefoot, off hind foot, off forefoot.
Walk
The self-controlled extravehicular movement in space of an astronaut.
Walk
The act or an instance of walking, especially a stroll for pleasure or exercise.
Walk
The rate at which one walks; a walking pace.
Walk
The characteristic way in which one walks.
Walk
The distance covered or to be covered in walking.
Walk
A place, such as a sidewalk or promenade, on which one may walk.
Walk
A route or circuit particularly suitable for walking
One of the prettiest walks in the area.
Walk
(Baseball) A base on balls.
Walk
(Basketball) The act or an instance of moving illegally with the ball; traveling.
Walk
A track event in which contestants compete in walking a specified distance.
Walk
Racewalking.
Walk
An enclosed area designated for the exercise or pasture of livestock.
Walk
An arrangement of trees or shrubs planted in widely spaced rows.
Walk
The space between such rows.
Walk
(intransitive) To move on the feet by alternately setting each foot (or pair or group of feet, in the case of animals with four or more feet) forward, with at least one foot on the ground at all times. Compare run.
To walk briskly for an hour every day is to keep fit.
Walk
To "walk free", i.e. to win, or avoid, a criminal court case, particularly when actually guilty.
If you can’t present a better case, that robber is going to walk.
Walk
Of an object, to go missing or be stolen.
If you leave your wallet lying around, it’s going to walk.
Walk
To walk off the field, as if given out, after the fielding side appeals and before the umpire has ruled; done as a matter of sportsmanship when the batsman believes he is out.
Walk
(transitive) To travel (a distance) by walking.
I walk two miles to school every day.
The museum’s not far from here – you can walk it.
Walk
(transitive) To take for a walk or accompany on a walk.
I walk the dog every morning.
Will you walk me home?
Walk
To allow a batter to reach base by pitching four balls.
Walk
(transitive) To move something by shifting between two positions, as if it were walking.
I carefully walked the ladder along the wall.
Walk
(transitive) To full; to beat cloth to give it the consistency of felt.
Walk
(transitive) To traverse by walking (or analogous gradual movement).
I walked the streets aimlessly.
Debugging this computer program involved walking the heap.
Walk
To operate the left and right throttles of (an aircraft) in alternation.
Walk
To leave, resign.
If we don't offer him more money he'll walk.
Walk
(transitive) To push (a vehicle) alongside oneself as one walks.
Walk
To behave; to pursue a course of life; to conduct oneself.
Walk
To be stirring; to be abroad; to go restlessly about; said of things or persons expected to remain quiet, such as a sleeping person, or the spirit of a dead person.
Walk
(obsolete) To be in motion; to act; to move.
Walk
To put, keep, or train (a puppy) in a walk, or training area for dogfighting.
Walk
To move a guest to another hotel if their confirmed reservation is not available on day of check-in.
Walk
A trip made by walking.
I take a walk every morning.
Walk
A distance walked.
It’s a long walk from my house to the library.
Walk
(sports) An Olympic Games track event requiring that the heel of the leading foot touch the ground before the toe of the trailing foot leaves the ground.
Walk
A manner of walking; a person's style of walking.
The Ministry of Silly Walks is underfunded this year.
Walk
A path, sidewalk/pavement or other maintained place on which to walk.
Walk
(figurative) A person's conduct or course in life.
Walk
(poker) A situation where all players fold to the big blind, as their first action (instead of calling or raising), once they get their cards.
Walk
(baseball) An award of first base to a batter following four balls being thrown by the pitcher; known in the rules as a "base on balls".
The pitcher now has two walks in this inning alone.
Walk
In coffee, coconut, and other plantations, the space between them.
Walk
An area of an estate planted with fruit-bearing trees.
Walk
(historical) A place for keeping and training puppies for dogfighting.
Walk
(historical) An enclosed area in which a gamecock is confined to prepare him for fighting.
Walk
(graph theory) A sequence of alternating vertices and edges, where each edge's endpoints are the preceding and following vertices in the sequence.
Walk
(colloquial) Something very easily accomplished; a walk in the park.
Walk
A cheque drawn on a bank that was not a member of the London Clearing and whose sort code was allocated on a one-off basis; they had to be "walked" (hand-delivered by messengers).
Walk
To move along on foot; to advance by steps; to go on at a moderate pace; specifically, of two-legged creatures, to proceed at a slower or faster rate, but without running, or lifting one foot entirely before the other touches the ground.
At the end of twelve months, he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
When Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
Walk
To move or go on the feet for exercise or amusement; to take one's exercise; to ramble.
Walk
To be stirring; to be abroad; to go restlessly about; - said of things or persons expected to remain quiet, as a sleeping person, or the spirit of a dead person; to go about as a somnambulist or a specter.
I have heard, but not believed, the spirits of the deadMay walk again.
When was it she last walked?
Walk
To be in motion; to act; to move; to wag.
Do you think I'd walk in any plot?
I heard a pen walking in the chimney behind the cloth.
Walk
To behave; to pursue a course of life; to conduct one's self.
We walk perversely with God, and he will walk crookedly toward us.
Walk
To move off; to depart.
He will make their cows and garrans to walk.
Walk
To pass through, over, or upon; to traverse; to perambulate; as, to walk the streets.
As we walk our earthly round.
Walk
To cause to walk; to lead, drive, or ride with a slow pace; as, to walk one's horses; to walk the dog.
Walk
To subject, as cloth or yarn, to the fulling process; to full.
Walk
To put or keep (a puppy) in a walk; to train (puppies) in a walk.
Walk
To move in a manner likened to walking.
She walked a spinning wheel into the house, making it use first one and then the other of its own spindling legs to achieve progression rather than lifting it by main force.
Walk
The act of walking, or moving on the feet with a slow pace; advance without running or leaping.
Walk
The act of walking for recreation or exercise; as, a morning walk; an evening walk.
Walk
Manner of walking; gait; step; as, we often know a person at a distance by his walk.
Walk
That in or through which one walks; place or distance walked over; a place for walking; a path or avenue prepared for foot passengers, or for taking air and exercise; way; road; hence, a place or region in which animals may graze; place of wandering; range; as, a sheep walk.
A woody mountain . . . with goodliest treesPlanted, with walks and bowers.
He had walk for a hundred sheep.
Amid the sound of steps that beatThe murmuring walks like rain.
Walk
A frequented track; habitual place of action; sphere; as, the walk of the historian.
The mountains are his walks.
He opened a boundless walk for his imagination.
Walk
Conduct; course of action; behavior.
Walk
The route or district regularly served by a vender; as, a milkman's walk.
Walk
In coffee, coconut, and other plantations, the space between them.
Walk
A place for keeping and training puppies.
Walk
The act of traveling by foot;
Walking is a healthy form of exercise
Walk
(baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls;
He worked the pitcher for a base on balls
Walk
Manner of walking;
He had a funny walk
Walk
The act of walking somewhere;
He took a walk after lunch
Walk
A path set aside for walking;
After the blizzard he shoveled the front walk
Walk
A slow gait of a horse in which two feet are always on the ground
Walk
Careers in general;
It happens in all walks of life
Walk
Use one's feet to advance; advance by steps;
Walk, don't run!
We walked instead of driving
She walks with a slight limp
The patient cannot walk yet
Walk over to the cabinet
Walk
Traverse or cover by walking;
Walk the tightrope
Paul walked the streets of Damascus
She walks 3 miles every day
Walk
Accompany or escort;
I'll walk you to your car
Walk
Obtain a base on balls
Walk
Live or behave in a specified manner;
Walk in sadness
Walk
Take a walk; go for a walk; walk for pleasure;
The lovers held hands while walking
We like to walk every Sunday
Walk
Give a base on balls to
Walk
Be or act in association with;
We must walk with our dispossessed brothers and sisters
Walk with God
Walk
Make walk;
He walks the horse up the mountain
Walk the dog twice a day
Walk
Walk at a pace;
The horsese walked across the meadow
Common Curiosities
What is walking?
Walking is the act of moving at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn, generally without any special effort or posture.
What is strutting?
Strutting is a style of walking with a stiff, swaggering gait that is intended to display confidence, often used to attract attention.
Why do people strut?
People strut to convey confidence, make an impression, or as part of a performance to captivate an audience.
Can walking be considered a form of exercise?
Yes, walking is a low-impact exercise that benefits cardiovascular health and overall fitness.
Is strutting appropriate in all situations?
Strutting may not be suitable in all situations as it can be perceived as showy or arrogant; its appropriateness depends on the context.
What are the physical differences between walking and strutting?
Physically, strutting involves more pronounced movements, an upright posture, and deliberate pacing, whereas walking is generally relaxed and natural.
Is strutting common in everyday life?
Strutting is less common in everyday life and more often associated with specific occasions or professions, like modeling.
How is strutting portrayed in media and entertainment?
In media and entertainment, strutting is often dramatized to highlight characters' confidence or pivotal moments, particularly in film and theater.
How does strutting affect one's image?
Strutting can enhance an individual's image in contexts where confidence is admired, such as on a runway or in a performance, but might negatively impact it in everyday settings.
Do animals strut?
Yes, some animals, like peacocks, strut to display their plumage and attract mates, demonstrating similar behaviors to humans.
Are there any psychological effects of strutting?
Strutting can have psychological effects such as increasing self-esteem or feelings of empowerment, but might also lead to perceptions of arrogance.
Can strutting be beneficial like walking?
While strutting might not provide the same health benefits as walking, it can boost self-esteem and body awareness.
How can someone learn to strut effectively?
Learning to strut effectively can involve practicing posture, pacing, and movement to achieve the desired level of confidence and visibility.
What might influence someone's decision to strut?
Influences might include the desire to impress, cultural practices, or the setting, such as being in a competitive or attention-grabbing environment.
What cultural significance does strutting hold?
In some cultures, strutting is a part of traditional dances and ceremonies, signifying various social or cultural meanings.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
