Definition of traverse
traversed
;traversing
transitive verb
1a : to go or travel across or overb : 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
4a : to move to and fro over or alongb : to ascend, descend, or cross (a slope or gap) at an anglec : to move (a gun) to right or left on a pivot
5a : to go against or act in opposition to : oppose, thwartb : 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
traverser
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Recent Examples of traverse from the Web
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Before an explosion in the 1980s diverted the Red Line to Vermont Avenue, it was supposed to traverse Fairfax.
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Here, for example, is how the moon traverses the sky at the South Pole during the part of the year when the region experiences night 24 hours a day.
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Portions of the hike are strenuous as participants traverse over 1.5 miles through thick vegetation.
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At a width of seven feet, there is space for a row of friends or colleagues to traverse it together.
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Teams like the Browns and Jets—recent unsuccessful franchises that have traversed various strategic models of team building— appear to be committing to new philosophies that eschew quick fixes and instead taking the long view.
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They are also displayed on Harford LINK buses that traverse the county.
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Both stations are in the mountains of Tibet, reducing the amount of air the fragile photons had to traverse.
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But there’s much more to consider, suggests project director Brian Isaacson of MnDOT, including the ways people navigate — via bridges and other road connections — as I-94 traverses their neighborhoods.
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
Definition of traverse
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
4a : a compartment or recess formed by a partition, curtain, or screenb : a gallery or loft providing access from one side to another in a large building
5 : a route or way across or over: such asa : a zigzag course of a sailing ship with contrary windsb : a curving or zigzag way up a steep gradec : 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
8a : a lateral movement (as of the saddle of a lathe carriage); also : a device for imparting such movementb : the lateral movement of a gun about a pivot or on a carriage to change direction of fire
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
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Some climbers hire guides for the trip, and some of those guides rope up clients for tougher traverses.
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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.
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Some people don’t do the traverse wall correctly either –
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Shackleton and his men were to attempt the first full traverse of the frozen continent in the south.
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Before her traverse was complete, the group of turtle rescue volunteers arrived, providing the officers with enough manpower and expertise to return the turtle back to the water.
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Race organizers had whittled the $10 million Pro Challenge’s losses to about $2 million a year, but the absence of a title sponsor eventually doomed the race after five celebrated traverses of Colorado.
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There to guide me on a traverse of the Kuresoo was Aivar Ruukel, a local expert, redoubtable in camo fatigues and a knee-length poncho.
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 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
First Known Use of traverse
15th century
TRAVERSE Defined for English Language Learners
TRAVERSE Defined for Kids
traverse
playDefinition of traverse for Students
traversed
;traversing
: to pass through, across, or over
Law Dictionary
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
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
Learn More about traverse
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See words that rhyme with traverse Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for traverse Spanish Central: Translation of traverse Nglish: Translation of traverse for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of traverse for Arabic speakers
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