walkman

IPA/ˈwɔːk.mən/
KK[wˈɔkmˌæn]IPA/ˈwɑːk.mən/

walkman — noun

  • walkmansingular
  • walkmansplural

1. a small portable audio player that plays music from cassette tapes, worn with li

1.nounB1
Definition

a small portable audio player that plays music from cassette tapes, worn with lightweight headphones and carried in your hand or pocket — originally a trademarked product of Sony

Example

Yuna pressed play on her old Walkman to see if it still worked.

countable noun: a Walkman / the Walkman / her old Walkman

Before smartphones, teenagers would carry a Walkman and listen to music on the school bus.

Common collocations
  • old Walkman
  • first Walkman
  • carry a Walkman
  • listen to a Walkman
Synonyms

Usage Note

Although Walkman is a Sony trademark, it is commonly used as a generic term for any portable cassette player, similar to how 'Hoover' is used for vacuum cleaners. In Taiwan, 隨身聽 (suíshēntīng) is the general term for portable music players, while 'Walkman' specifically refers to the Sony-branded cassette player.

Common Mistakes

I listen to music on my walkman phone.
I listen to music on my Walkman.
'Walkman' refers to a cassette player, not a smartphone or MP3 player.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A Walkman is specifically a Sony-branded portable cassette player, while 'personal stereo' is the generic term for any such device regardless of brand. 'Cassette player' is broader — it includes home stereo components and car decks that are not portable. 'Portable audio player' and 'MP3 player' describe modern digital devices that store songs as files rather than on magnetic tape, fulfilling the same function with different technology. For example: 'My Walkman ate my favorite mixtape,' but 'My MP3 player holds 2,000 songs.'

personal stereocassette playerportable audio playerMP3 player

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • on a Walkman
  • with a Walkman
  • carry a Walkman

Etymology

EnglishJapanese (brand coinage)English

From the English words 'walk' and 'man', coined by Sony in 1979 for the TPS-L2, the first portable cassette player. The name was meant to suggest a person walking while listening to music. The brand became so dominant that 'Walkman' is now often used loosely for any portable cassette player.