Meaning & use
stalk
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Meanings
nouncountable
The long thin main part of a plant that holds up its leaves, flowers or fruit.
Grammar: Countable: a stalk of celery.
Patterns
- a stalk of something
Cut each stalk of celery into small pieces.
The sunflower's tall stalk bent in the wind.
Corn grows on thick green stalks.
verbtransitive
To follow someone persistently and secretly in a way that frightens or harasses them.
Grammar: Takes an object: he stalked her for months.
Patterns
- stalk someone
Police arrested a man who had been stalking the singer.
She felt unsafe because someone was stalking her online.
He was accused of stalking his former coworker.
verbtransitive
To follow an animal or person quietly and carefully so as to catch it without being seen.
Grammar: Takes an object: the lion stalked its prey.
Patterns
- stalk something
The cat stalked a mouse across the kitchen.
Hunters stalked the deer through the woods.
The tiger stalked the herd for hours.
verbintransitive
To walk in a stiff, proud or angry way.
Grammar: No object; often followed by off or out: she stalked out.
Patterns
- stalk off
- stalk out of somewhere
He stalked out of the meeting in a rage.
She stalked off without saying a word.
The cat stalked across the garden wall.
Word forms
| plural | stalks |
|---|---|
| third person singular | stalks |
| past tense | stalked |
| -ing form | stalking |
Common combinations
- a stalk of celery
- She added a stalk of celery to the soup.
- stalk prey
- The leopard stalks its prey at night.
- stalk off
- He stalked off in a huff.
- stalk someone online
- It is illegal to stalk someone online.
- wheat stalk
- The farmer cut down the wheat stalk.
- stalk through
- The detective stalked through the empty halls.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stem
- Stem is the more general botanical term, while stalk often sounds like the thicker support of vegetables or crops.
- follow
- Follow is neutral and can be done in the open, whereas stalk implies secrecy and threat.
- hunt
- Hunt is the full activity of seeking prey, and stalk is the quiet approach part.
- stride
- Stride means walking with long steps, but stalk adds anger or pride.
Word family
Commonly confused: stalk or stock? stalk or stork?
stalk vs stock
Stock is a supply, or a type of broth, and sounds similar to stalk in some accents but has a different meaning.
stalk vs stork
A stork is a large bird, and the words are close in sound.
Practice
The tiger began to _____ the deer through the tall grass.
Choose one answer.
Stalk means to follow quietly to catch. The other words are unrelated verbs and nouns.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stalk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.