journey

noun

jour·ney | \ˈjər-nē

plural journeys

Definition of journey

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : something suggesting travel or passage from one place to another the journey from youth to maturity a journey through time

2 : an act or instance of traveling from one place to another : trip a three-day journey going on a long journey

3 chiefly dialectal : a day's travel

journey

verb

journeyed; journeying

Definition of journey (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to go on a journey : travel

transitive verb

: to travel over or through

Other Words from journey Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about journey

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Choose the Right Synonym for journey

Noun

journey, trip, and tour mean travel from one place to another. journey usually means traveling a long distance and often in dangerous or difficult circumstances. They made the long journey across the desert. trip can be used when the traveling is brief, swift, or ordinary. We took our weekly trip to the store. tour is used for a journey with several stops that ends at the place where it began. Sightseers took a tour of the city.

Did You Know?

The Latin adjective diurnus means “pertaining to a day, daily”; English diurnal stems ultimately from this word. When Latin developed into French, diurnus became a noun, jour, meaning simply “day” The medieval French derivative journee meant either “day” or “something done during the day,” such as work or travel. Middle English borrowed journee as journey in both senses, but only the sense “a day’s travel” survived into modern usage. In modern English, journey now refers to a trip without regard to the amount of time it takes. The verb journey developed from the noun and is first attested in the 14th century.

Examples of journey in a Sentence

Noun

a long journey across the country She's on the last leg of a six-month journey through Europe. We wished her a safe and pleasant journey.

Verb

She was the first woman to journey into space. an intense yearning to journey to distant lands

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Although there are no views from the top of Flat Top, the rugged journey is highlighted by the Old Stagecoach Trail lined with stone walls. — Peter Marteka, courant.com, "10 Miles Of Trails Open 7 Days A Week, 52 Weeks A Year. Sherman's Deer Pond Farm Makes Its Debut," 13 July 2018 Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha visited one of the hospitals treating the boys on Tuesday, and told the press that the team members had been given anti-anxiety medication before undertaking the long, treacherous journey to freedom. — Madeleine Aggeler, The Cut, "All 12 Thai Soccer Players and Their Coach Have Been Rescued," 10 July 2018 But not everyone comes for the journey of a lifetime. — Scott Craven, azcentral, "Lees Ferry: Gateway to Grand Canyon rafting and the Colorado River," 9 July 2018 Kenrich Williams' journey from Juco nobody, to a college player few wanted, to a guy recovering from a blown out ACL, now includes not being drafted by an NBA team. — Mac Engel, star-telegram, "TCU star misses on draft while UTA forward is picked," 21 June 2018 The journey itself means giving up all the stability in their life: their home, school, friends, family, community and culture, everything. — Sara Goudarzi, Scientific American, "Separating Families May Cause Lifelong Health Damage," 20 June 2018 On the other hand, Ken Abrams of Ocala, Florida journeys along NASCAR roads mostly on his own. — Mike Hembree, USA TODAY, "How some NASCAR fans are building friendships by taking life on the road," 18 June 2018 Richard's baseball journey all started when a friend of a relative got Richard playing in a summer league every year. — Shaun Goodwin, kansascity, "From baseball All-Star to homeless to minister: J.R. Richard's journey," 9 June 2018 From blowing into James’ ear to becoming his Lakers teammate, Stephenson’s NBA journey has been interesting so far. — Alysha Tsuji, For The Win, "Lance Stephenson admits it's funny he's LeBron James' teammate," 10 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Sunset Limited - journeying between Los Angeles and Miami -- was the last Amtrak train to roll through Mobile. — John Sharp, AL.com, "In Alabama, decisions loom on state's role in Amtrak's return to Gulf Coast," 4 Apr. 2018 Boston Green Academy students have journeyed into the hilltops of Guatemala to help impoverished families install stoves and water filtration systems. — James Vaznis, BostonGlobe.com, "Global field trips are opening a whole new world to Boston students," 11 May 2018 Entering the historic site from busy Muirkirk Road — passing the Montpelier Arts Center to park and following the walkway past the Carriage and Summer Houses and herb garden to the mansion — feels like journeying into the past. — Patti Restivo, Howard County Times, "Montpelier Mansion celebrating and fundraising," 22 June 2018 While the name, unfortunately, didn't stick, his dreams of journeying through the jungle and palling around with primates were not far off. — Sarah Bowman, Indianapolis Star, "The 2018 Indianapolis Prize winner has discovered 18 species, meet Russ Mittermeier," 12 June 2018 Any diver journeying into the cave would face 6 hours of swimming against the current through narrow passages, not to mention flash floods courtesy of Thailand's rainy season. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "All 12 Thai Boys Rescued From Cave," 10 July 2018 Along with two Indian youths, the two adventurers journeyed beyond the Snake River, where Adams set out to capture young grizzlies. — Gary Kamiya, SFChronicle.com, "The original Grizzly Adams kept his bears on a chain in SF," 7 July 2018 Hours before the Fourth of July parade began in D.C., a family who had journeyed 14 hours from Wisconsin filed down to Constitution Avenue to get the best seats. — Reis Thebault, Washington Post, "Fourth of July celebrations more meaningful, worrisome for some Americans," 4 July 2018 The armies of Chinese shoppers who journey abroad have been vital too. — Jacky Wong, WSJ, "Beauty Stocks’ Rise Is Looking Increasingly Cosmetic," 21 June 2018

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

History and Etymology for journey

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French jurnee day, day's journey, from jur day, from Late Latin diurnum, from Latin, neuter of diurnus — see journal

Verb

see journey entry 1

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