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to walk hand in hand

to walk hand in hand

4 2.0
Two people walk close together holding hands as a sign of affection
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : caminar de la mano
  • In the park, couples often walk hand in hand, enjoying the sunny weather.
  • couples walking hand in hand
  • walk hand in hand along the beach
  • woman walking hand in hand

Examples

  • Francesca and Robert walk hand in hand, window shopping and taking in the sights.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Couples, straight and gay, walk hand in hand; families picnic; beautiful people sunbathe.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Sometimes we walk hand in hand by the sea

  • Three months later, the children are still walking hand in hand.

    Academic text (1996)
  • And they would walk hand in hand in the garden again.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Esperanza noticed a girl and a woman walking hand in hand, each with a grocery bag in her other arm.

    Academic text (2016)
  • A couple walking hand in hand passed Sondra, their faces radiant as they smiled at each other.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • BEACH - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY: Jordan and Royce walk hand in hand, strolling the same beach she trained on.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Dylan and Knox walk hand in hand up a quaint, woodsy path behind Knox's home.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • After the ceremony, the newlyweds walk hand in hand as they leave the venue.

Synonyms

to hold someone's hand
vsto walk hand in hand
  • Informal
10 2.8

To comfort and guide someone who feels anxious or unsure

expresses mutual affection while moving closely together rather than offering guidance

Antonyms

632 3.5

Leave a person, place, or situation without taking part anymore

How Affectionate

to walk hand in hand
4 2.0
arm in arm
11 2.8

Surface Forms

walk hand in hand infinitive
walked hand in hand past participle
walking hand in hand present participle
walks hand in hand third person singular

Morphology

walk + hand + in + hand

The phrase's meaning is directly built from 'walk' (move on foot) combined with the compositional prepositional phrase 'hand in hand' (holding hands), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer 'walking while holding each other's hands' without prior exposure. The construction is literal and cross-linguistically common as a way to express close physical accompaniment or affection, making it transparent.

Etymology

The expression walk hand in hand comes from the simple picture of two people who walk while holding each other's hand, showing closeness and care. That's why it means 'to walk closely together as a sign of affection'.