Wallah Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

wallah American [wah-lah, -luh] / ˈwɑ lɑ, -lə / Or walla

noun

Indian English.

1. a person in charge of, employed at, or concerned with a particular thing (used in combination).

   a book wallah; a ticket wallah.

wallah British / ˈwɒlə /

noun

1. informal (usually in combination) a person involved with or in charge of (a specified thing)

   the book wallah

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of wallah

First recorded in 1770–80; from Hindi -wālā, an adjective suffix meaning “connected with, pertaining to,” also a noun suffix meaning “person in charge” (functionally equivalent to the English agent noun suffix -er 1 ( def. ) ); from Prakrit, Sanskrit pāla- “protector,” a derivative of the root pā- “to protect”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In parts of India, roaming “ironing wallahs” use charcoal-powered irons to press wrinkles out of clothes.

From Washington Post

When she traveled by train to visit family members in other parts of India, she would seek out the chaat wallahs set up right outside each station to get a taste for the local flavors.

From New York Times

After bargaining with the rickshaw wallahs, Sass settled Hari and Sassur in one rickshaw and directed me to join her in the second one.

From Literature

He had been working on these slopes since he was 8, beginning as a sled wallah.

From New York Times

Educated youths do not want to be “pakora wallahs” — people who make a quintessential fried Indian snack — said Radhicka Kapoor, an economist at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations.

From Washington Post

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.