pedestrian

pedestrian — noun

1. someone moving on foot, especially on or near a road used by cars

1.nounB1
Definition

someone moving on foot, especially on or near a road used by cars

Example

A police officer stopped traffic so the pedestrians could cross safely.

drivers stop for pedestrians

Two pedestrians waited by the bus stop during the heavy rain.

Common collocations
  • hit a pedestrian
  • watch for pedestrians
  • stop for pedestrians
  • injured pedestrian
Synonyms
  • walker

    a broader everyday word, often for exercise or leisure rather than road use

  • passerby

    someone passing a place; it does not specifically focus on being on foot in traffic

  • foot traveller

    understandable but much less common than pedestrian

Antonyms
  • driver

    someone travelling in a vehicle instead of walking

  • cyclist

    someone travelling by bicycle, not on foot

Grammar Patterns

a pedestrian crosses the road

drivers stop for pedestrians

hit a pedestrian

Usage Note

Common in road-safety rules, signs, and news reports, often contrasted with drivers or cyclists rather than with people in general.

Common Mistakes

The driver did not see the walker at the crossing.
The driver did not see the pedestrian at the crossing.
In traffic situations, pedestrian is more natural than walker.

pedestrian — adjective

Word family

  • pedestrianize
    verbC2
  • pedestrianized
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Pedestrian is the most useful word when you mean a person on foot in places where traffic matters, such as roads, crossings, and parking areas. Walker is broader and more everyday: it may describe anyone walking, especially for exercise or pleasure, not just someone near cars. Passerby focuses on a person going past a place, so it does not strongly suggest traffic. Hiker means someone walking a long distance in the countryside or hills, not in city streets. In a road sign, Watch for pedestrians is natural. For a park path, We met several walkers sounds better.

pedestrian ↗walkerpasserby ↗hiker

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Pedestrian came into English from French and ultimately from Latin pedester, meaning 'on foot', from the Latin word pes meaning 'foot'. English first used it for things connected with walking, and the noun for a person walking later became common in traffic language. The negative adjective sense developed from the idea of something staying at an ordinary, ground-level standard.