Meanings
- humorousuncommonuncountableThe act of walking while distracted or preoccupied by something else, often looking at a smartphone.First known use 2014
Michael Cucek is a consultant who has lived here for more than 20 years. In his spare time, he writes a popular political blog called Shisaku that has recently been littered with posts about what he calls "dumbwalking".
2014 July 14, Alex Marshall, “Japan enters the era of smartphones and 'dumbwalking'”, in BBC, archived from the original on 15 Jul 20141 more example
In Japan, smartphones are extremely popular, although they are often demonised in the media. The issue of ‘dumbwalking’ is a serious problem in Japan, although in Japanese it is known as arukinagara (walking whilst [on the phone]).
2018, Richard S. Pinner, Augmented Communication: The Effect of Digital Devices on Face-to-Face Interactions, Springer International Publishing, page 107
Origin
Cite this entry
dumbwalking. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dumbwalking
“dumbwalking.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dumbwalking. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dumbwalking,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dumbwalking.
Source: dumbwalking on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.