transit

1 of 2

noun

1
a(1)
: conveyance of persons or things from one place to another
(2)
: usually local transportation especially of people by public conveyance
also : vehicles or a system engaged in such transportation
b
: an act, process, or instance of passing through or over
2
a
: passage of a celestial body over the meridian of a place or through the field of a telescope
b
: passage of a smaller body (such as Venus) across the disk of a larger (such as the sun)
3
: a theodolite with the telescope mounted so that it can be transited

transit

2 of 2

verb

transited; transiting; transits

intransitive verb

: to make a transit

transitive verb

1
a
: to pass over or through
b
: to cause to pass over or through
2
: to pass across (a meridian, a celestial body, or the field of view of a telescope)
3
: to turn (a telescope) over about the horizontal transverse axis in surveying

Examples of transit in a Sentence

Noun the problems of urban transit Verb once you transit that stretch of dense woods, the hiking should be much easier
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Kelly recently said that the hope is that the state’s high-speed rail will eventually integrate with the Brightline rail, potentially filling a transit gap between stations. Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 In short, the 3-year-old program gives incentives for projects that include homes priced for lower- and moderate-income residents located near transit lines and other amenities. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2024 Crowley also mentioned two instances of when Narcan from these machines saved lives in the community, including when an MCTS bus driver administered Narcan to a transit rider who was experiencing an overdose. Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024 The project is also expected to add a new transit plaza next to the housing, which will be alongside State Route 87. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024 Some residents fondly recall when trade and transit links still existed with Kyiv On Thursday afternoon, deafening explosions sent people running into restaurant bathrooms, workplace basements and the concrete bomb shelters authorities have constructed at every bus stop. Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Officers at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station, which has a police outpost, heard gunshots as the train arrived there on Thursday and responded immediately, said Michael Kemper, the Police Department’s, chief of transit, at a news conference that day. Hurubie Meko, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Valley Metro will recognize Footprint Center event tickets as valid light rail fare on the day of the event for four hours prior to the start of the event through the end of the transit day. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 15 Mar. 2024 There were some questions, Pressel said, on whether the existence of a dedicated transit line would hinder INDOT's ability to take over the road. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Mar. 2024
Verb
Israel has been carrying out security checks on goods entering its own crossing into Gaza, Kerem Shalom but also on goods that passed through Israeli crossings before transiting onto Egypt’s entry point into Gaza, the Rafah crossing. Niamh Kennedy, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 In October, El Salvador began charging $1,130 for citizens of 57 largely African countries and India transiting the country’s airport. Baba Ahmed, Quartz, 2 Mar. 2024 In 2023, more than 56,000 people from Africa transited through Colombia, according to migration data. Annie Correal Federico Rios, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 The Houthis have fired dozens of missiles and drones at commercial ships transiting the Red Sea since Israel declared war against Hamas in Gaza and pledged to continue hitting ships there as long as Israel’s military campaign continues. Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2024 There are two different paths for Chinese companies escaping the Mainland: 1) subterfuge to rebrand Chinese products and manufacturers by transiting third countries to avoid sanctions and taxes, and 2) genuine relocations of manufacturing capacity. Anne Stevenson-Yang, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 In return, a Houthi official promised safe passage for Russian and Chinese ships transiting through the Red Sea. Hamidreza Azizi, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2024 In this case, officials said, the administration is willing to safely transit key waterways and, more generally, defend the principle of freedom of navigation. Abigail Hauslohner, Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2024 The Houthi missiles and drones were targeting an area where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting, Centcom said Tuesday night. Luis Martinez, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'transit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English transite, from Latin transitus, from transire to go across, pass

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of transit was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near transit

Cite this Entry

“Transit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transit. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

transit

1 of 2 noun
1
: an act, process, or example of passing through or over : passage
2
: the transporting of persons or things from one place to another
goods lost in transit
3
: local transportation of people in public vehicles
also : the vehicles or system used in such transportation
4
: a surveyor's instrument for measuring angles

transit

2 of 2 verb
: to pass or cause to pass over, through, or across
Etymology

Noun

from Latin transitus "passage, journey," from transire "to go across, pass," from trans- "across, beyond" and ire "to go" — related to issue, itinerary

More from Merriam-Webster on transit

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