journey

noun

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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 Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about journey

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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 The dog-eared line about the journey eclipsing the destination applied. — Washington Post, "Just in time for summer: 49 new National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads," 16 Apr. 2021 Just before Easter, Vance posted a lengthy essay on his spiritual journey from Christian evangelical roots into atheism and then to becoming Catholic. — Dan Sewell, The Enquirer, "'Hillbilly' to Capitol Hill? Author eyes Senate bid in Ohio," 16 Apr. 2021 The plan was to tow the raft containing overflow passengers and crew to the coast, but the raft was cut loose shortly into its journey. — Luc-christophe Guillerm, Scientific American, "Coping Strategies of Ocean Castaways Hold Lessons for the COVID Pandemic," 16 Apr. 2021 My pulse was indeed hitting dangerous levels as the hours mounted, the site crashed, pages glitched and bad cookies (not the delicious kind) derailed my journey to the happiest #*&$%!! — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, "Commentary: Inside the maddening 28-hour odyssey to buy tickets for Disneyland’s reopening," 16 Apr. 2021 Baker talked about the journey to this point, and the overarching goal of the educational system — including enriching students’ identities, honoring their stories and challenging them in a way that is healthy and collaborative. — James T. Norman, chicagotribune.com, "Newly adopted Mundelein High School Dist. 120 racial and education equity policy an effort ‘to fix the system’," 15 Apr. 2021 Felicity Carter: Tell us about your journey into the industry? — Felicity Carter, Forbes, "Creative In Conversation: Roxanne Assoulin On Her Thoroughly Playful Jewelry Brand," 11 Apr. 2021 But much about Lovato's recovery journey is unknown, Reiff said. — Alia E. Dastagir, USA TODAY, "Demi Lovato has alcohol, weed in moderation: What experts think of the 'California Sober' approach," 6 Apr. 2021 Tell me about the journey of going from the short to the feature. — Keely Weiss, Harper's BAZAAR, "How Director Emma Seligman Made Shiva Baby an Anxiety-Inducing Trip," 2 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The torch will arrive in Tokyo on July 9 and will journey around the Japanese capital until the opening ceremony on July 23. Spectators who try to catch a glimpse of the torch have been told to socially distance and refrain from cheering. — Cailey Rizzo, Travel + Leisure, "The Olympic Torch Begins Its 121-day Journey Around Japan," 25 Mar. 2021 Then come the refreshment trolleys—service providers, like buy-now-pay-later firms, that purport to make the payments journey more pleasant. — The Economist, "Scaling the peak America used to be behind on digital payments. Not any more," 20 Mar. 2021 Their work is regularly supplemented by a pool of sympathetic private nurses and doctors who also journey from neighborhood to neighborhood each night, often after finishing their day jobs. — New York Times, "‘How Many Funerals Will Come Out of This One?’," 17 Feb. 2021 Airports and airlines are also piloting and fast-tracking a wide range of biometric technology and other tools that make the airport journey a bit more touch-free. — Harriet Baskas, USA TODAY, "Delivery robots to digital health apps: 5 ways your next airport visit could be contactless," 6 Jan. 2021 Her aspirations are to continue to journey the road less traveled, attend Harvard University and major in Genetics while participating in the Harvard Ballet Company. — NOLA.com, "St. Tammany Parish Public Schools name district Students of the Year," 23 Jan. 2021 The team has already scrapped the idea for Biden to journey to D.C. via Amtrak because of security concerns after the Jan. 6 siege. — Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner, "Biden's inauguration: What to expect," 18 Jan. 2021 The Star Trek star didn't have to journey to any new planets to find her Christmas cheer! — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, "2020 Celebrity Christmas Cards That Deliver Holiday Cheer," 24 Dec. 2020 In 1934 Texas, Elsa Martinelli must journey west in search of an ever-elusive better future. — Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, "Winter reading guide: 20 books from Joan Didion, Kazuo Ishiguro, Cicely Tyson, more," 19 Dec. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

19 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Journey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journey. Accessed 19 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for journey

journey

noun

English Language Learners Definition of journey

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an act of traveling from one place to another

journey

verb

English Language Learners Definition of journey (Entry 2 of 2)

: to go on a journey

See the full definition for journey in the English Language Learners Dictionary

journey

noun

jour·ney | \ ˈjər-nē

plural journeys

Kids Definition of journey

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an act of traveling from one place to another

journey

verb

journeyed; journeying

Kids Definition of journey (Entry 2 of 2)

: to travel to a distant place

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.