Definition of TRAVERSING (original) (raw)
1
a
: to go or travel across or over
b
: to move or pass along or through
light rays traversing a crystal
3
: to lie or extend across : cross
the bridge traverses a brook
4
a
: to move to and fro over or along
b
: to ascend, descend, or cross (a slope or gap) at an angle
c
: to move (a gun) to right or left on a pivot
5
b
: to deny (something, such as an allegation of fact or an indictment) formally at law
6
: to make or carry out a survey of by using traverses
1
: to move back and forth or from side to side
2
: to move or turn laterally : swivel
3
a
: to climb at an angle or in a zigzag course
b
: to ski across rather than straight down a hill
4
: to make a survey by using traverses
1
: something that crosses or lies across
3
: a formal denial of a matter of fact alleged by the opposing party in a legal pleading
4
a
: a compartment or recess formed by a partition, curtain, or screen
b
: a gallery or loft providing access from one side to another in a large building
5
: a route or way across or over: such as
a
: a zigzag course of a sailing ship with contrary winds
b
: a curving or zigzag way up a steep grade
6
: the act or an instance of traversing : crossing
7
: a protective projecting wall or bank of earth in a trench
8
a
: a lateral movement (as of the saddle of a lathe carriage)
also : a device for imparting such movement
b
: the lateral movement of a gun about a pivot or on a carriage to change direction of fire
9
: a line surveyed across a plot of ground
Synonyms
Examples of traverse in a Sentence
Verb
The candidates traversed the state throughout the campaign. The river traverses the county.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Multiple waves of low pressure will traverse this boundary, and this coupled with the Pacific moisture transport and upslope flow/forcing over the higher terrain of the coastal ranges and northern Sierra Nevada foothills should yield as much as an additional 5 to 10 inches of rain. —
Anna Skinner, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025 In Connemara National Park in County Galway, hike to views of the Twelve Bens Mountains, or traverse across Glenveagh National Park in County Donegal, which has gorgeous lakeside and mountain trails, and then hit the visitor center for tea and cake. —Yvonne Gordon, AFAR Media, 31 Jan. 2025
The Sawtooth Avalanche Center has issued an avalanche warning, listing the current danger as extreme in the mountains that Idaho 21 traverses near Grandjean and Stanley. —Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 4 Feb. 2025 That is, the probability of the wanderer starting in neighborhood A and ending up in neighborhood B—the macroscale behavior—remains the same regardless of which streets within A or B the walker randomly traverses. —Philip Ball, WIRED, 21 July 2024
The roots of via ferratas come from World War I, when climbing routes were strategically created by the Italian army as a way to evade attacks and traverse jagged peaks in the Dolomite Mountains. —Kathleen Rellihan, Outside Online, 3 Oct. 2024 As the two traverse Poland, emotions and laughter score their reconnection. —Emily Maskell, Vulture, 3 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for traverse 
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French traverser, from Late Latin transversare, from Latin transversus
Noun
Middle English travers, from Anglo-French travers (as in a travers, de travers across), from Latin transversum (as in in transversum set crosswise), neuter of transversus lying across; senses 5–9 in part from traverse entry 1 — more at transverse entry 1
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 5a
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of traverse was in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near traverse
Cite this Entry
“Traverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traverse. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 10 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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