widow's walk

noun

A raised platform on the roof of a house, especially one on a coastal house originally used for viewing the arrival of shipping

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Meanings

nounwidow's walk (plural widow's walks)

plural widow's walks

  1. USA raised platform on the roof of a house, especially one on a coastal house originally used for viewing the arrival of shipping

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
captain's walk

Origin

Apparently in reference to the women who would watch for their husbands to return from the sea, but would sometimes learn that they had been killed.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

widow's walk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/widow's%20walk

MLA

“widow's walk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/widow's%20walk. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “widow's walk,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/widow's%20walk.

Source: widow's walk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.