traverse

verb tra·verse \ trə-ˈvərs also tra-ˈ or ˈtra-(ˌ) \

Updated on: 6 Apr 2018

Definition of traverse

traversed; traversing

transitive verb

1 a : to go or travel across or over

b : to move or pass along or through

light rays traversing a crystal

2 : to make a study of : examine

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 a : to go against or act in opposition to : oppose, thwart

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

intransitive verb

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

—

traversable

play \-ˈvər-sə-bəl, -(ˌ)vər-\ adjective

—

traverser

noun

See traverse defined for English-language learners

Examples of traverse in a Sentence

The candidates traversed the state throughout the campaign.
The river traverses the county.

Recent Examples of traverse from the Web

Kilimanjaro demands a lot from those who traverse her trails.

— krystin arneson, Glamour, "Mandy Moore Just Climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and We're in Awe," 1 Apr. 2018
Yet reaching them means traversing miles of highways, wind turbines, open fields and natural gas pipelines.

— jeremy schwartz, ajc, "Trump's border wall threatens endangered Texas ocelot," 31 Mar. 2018
Several oil, natural gas and petroleum product pipelines traverse Indiana.

— emily hopkins, Indianapolis Star, "Marathon Pipeline agrees to $335,000 in EPA settlement for 2016 Wabash River diesel spill," 28 Mar. 2018
Nearly a million travelers are expected to traverse the concourses at Portland International Airport during the next two weeks as spring break hits Oregon and Washington schools.

— andrew theen, OregonLive.com, "PDX warns of spring break travel blitz," 23 Mar. 2018
Service providers that still permit spoofed data packets to traverse their networks also play a crucial role in allowing amplification attacks, but once again the providers aren't significantly harmed, either.

— dan goodin, Ars Technica, "It just got much easier to wage record-breaking DDoSes," 7 Mar. 2018
Visitors must pass through them to traverse the road.

— meredith mendelsohn, New York Times, "How an Artist Learned About Freedom From ‘The Negro Motorist Green Book’," 19 Jan. 2018
Along with rabbits, Australia is trying to fend off red foxes (imported for hunting), feral cats (once kept as pets), carp (brought in for fish farms) and even camels (used for traversing the desert).

— erin biba, Scientific American, "Inside Australia’s War on Invasive Species," 1 Aug. 2017
Hike leader and Land Trust Director Nate Cantwell will discuss the history of several colonial era farms that hikers will traverse, including distributing historical research and maps.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 20 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'traverse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of traverse

Middle English, from Anglo-French traverser, from Late Latin transversare, from Latin transversus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

traverse Synonyms

Synonyms

course, cover, cross, cut (across), follow, go, navigate, pass (over), perambulate, peregrinate, proceed (along), track, transit, travel;

Related Words

hike, traipse, tramp, tread, walk;

ride, run;

crisscross;

traverse

noun tra·verse \ ˈtra-vərs also -ˌvərs , especially for senses 6 and 8 also trə-ˈ or tra-ˈ \

Definition of traverse

1 : something that crosses or lies across

2 : obstacle, adversity

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

c : the course followed in traversing

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

See traverse defined for kids

Recent Examples of traverse from the Web

Shiffrin was the 19th skier to go down the hill and ended the run 1.98 seconds behind Vonn after looking shaky coming out of the first traverse.

— jason duaine hahn, PEOPLE.com, "Mikaela Shiffrin Wins Silver in Olympic Face-Off With Lindsey Vonn at Women's Alpine Combined Race," 22 Feb. 2018
Kilmer last week helped cut the ribbon on Amtrak's new Freighthouse Square station, within his district, which the new $181 million bypass traverses.

— josh farley, USA TODAY, "Washington officials remain committed to bypass, site of deadly train derailment," 19 Dec. 2017
Analyses by the team, including carbon dating, suggest that the excreta dug up at the Traversette site could date to well within the ballpark of the Punic forces’ traverse.

— Smithsonian, "How (and Where) Did Hannibal Cross the Alps?," 29 July 2017
The route also crosses seven bridges—including a three-wire bridge and a Tyrolean traverse (basically a horizontal zipline in which climbers clip onto a rope or wire and pull themselves across).

— jennifer billock, Smithsonian, "Climb a 2,500-Rung Ladder Up New Zealand’s Towering Twin Falls," 19 Oct. 2017
The blue swath on my westernmost map — the Bering Strait, endpoint of my traverse — stretches south to encompass my former hometown of Nome.

— michael engelhard, Alaska Dispatch News, "Traversing the Brooks Range, step by revealing step," 9 Sep. 2017
Analyses by the team, including carbon dating, suggest that the excreta dug up at the Traversette site could date to well within the ballpark of the Punic forces’ traverse.

— Smithsonian, "How (and Where) Did Hannibal Cross the Alps?," 29 July 2017
Analyses by the team, including carbon dating, suggest that the excreta dug up at the Traversette site could date to well within the ballpark of the Punic forces’ traverse.

— Smithsonian, "How (and Where) Did Hannibal Cross the Alps?," 29 July 2017
Some climbers hire guides for the trip, and some of those guides rope up clients for tougher traverses.

— craig r. mccoy / staff writer, Philly.com, "Horror on the mountain," 12 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of traverse

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 ¹traverse — more at ¹transverse

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

traverse

adjective tra·verse \ ˈtra-(ˌ)vərs , trə-ˈ , tra-ˈ \

Definition of traverse

: lying across : transverse

First Known Use of traverse

15th century

TRAVERSE Defined for English Language Learners

traverse

verb

Definition of traverse for English Language Learners

: to move across (an area)

TRAVERSE Defined for Kids

traverse

verb tra·verse \ trə-ˈvərs \

Definition of traverse for Students

traversed; traversing

: to pass through, across, or over

Law Dictionary

traverse

noun tra·verse \ ˈtra-ˌvərs, trə-ˈvərs \

legal Definition of traverse

: a denial of a matter of fact alleged in the opposing party's pleadings; also : a pleading in which such a denial is made

traverse

transitive verb tra·verse \ trə-ˈvərs, ˈtra-ˌvərs \

legal Definition of traverse

: to deny (as an allegation of fact or an indictment) in a legal proceeding

Origin and Etymology of traverse

Anglo-French traverser, literally, to lay across, bar, impede, from Old French, from Late Latin transversare to cross, from Latin transversus lying across