Meaning & use
a perp walk
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Meaning
nouncountableinformalAmerican
The act of walking a person accused of a crime past reporters and cameras, often for publicity.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the phrase 'do a perp walk' or 'take someone on a perp walk'.
Patterns
- do a perp walk
- take someone on a perp walk
- a perp walk for someone
The suspect was given a perp walk in front of the courthouse.
Critics say the perp walk is a form of public shaming.
The police arranged a perp walk to show they had made an arrest.
Word forms
| plural | perp walks |
|---|
Common combinations
- do a perp walk
- The celebrity had to do a perp walk after his arrest.
- a perp walk in front of cameras
- He was led out in a perp walk in front of cameras.
- stage a perp walk
- Some say the police staged a perp walk for the media.
- the perp walk
- The perp walk has become a familiar sight on the news.
Synonyms and how they differ
- perp parade
- A less common variant with the same meaning, also informal American.
Word family
- perp noun
- Informal American word for a criminal or suspect, from 'perpetrator'.
Commonly confused: a perp walk or perp walk?
a perp walk vs perp walk
Not to be confused with 'perk walk' or 'pet walk'; the word 'perp' is short for 'perpetrator'.
Practice
The police made the suspect ______ in front of the TV cameras.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'do a perp walk', meaning to walk a suspect past the media. The other options are not real phrases.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a perp walk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.