What’s the difference between “He dumped her” and “He walked out on her”? Are there any different shades of meaning in these two phrases? Are they completely different?
To walk out on [someone/something]:
to suddenly end your relationship with someone or something
[TFD]
You can walk out on a person you are in a relationship with (usually a long-term one), or walk out on a contract you have. Typically the things you “walk out on” are more serious and binding things, and the act of “walking out” is often unexplained.
To dump:
To discard or reject unceremoniously
[TFD]
Dump is usually only used with short-term romantic relationships, though it can be used with personal relationships as well. In the act of dumping, the person getting dumped is typically left with a poor explanation for the end of the relationship.
A girlfriend is dumped, a wife is walked out on.
Differences I can think of:
- “walk out on” implies a committed relationship, usually living together, and possibly with kids. (You can’t “dump” your wife and kids, but you can “walk out on them”.)
- “dump” in this sense is only used for romantic relationships, whereas you can “walk out on” a project, housemates, etc.
- being “walked out on” (to me) implies some kind of traumatic experience for the victim with serious consequences, whereas being “dumped” suggests being upset, but without the suggestion of long term trauma. (But maybe that just follows logically from the first point.)
What's the difference between "He dumped her" and "He walked out on her"? – english.stackexchange.com #JHedzWorlD
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