journey

1 of 2

noun

jour·​ney ˈjər-nē How to pronounce journey (audio)
plural journeys
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

2 of 2

verb

journeyed; journeying

intransitive verb

: to go on a journey : travel

transitive verb

: to travel over or through
journeyer noun

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
Alfie Templeman wants listeners to go on a journey with his new album — and not bring their cellphones with them. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 For two hours Wednesday night, Stevie Nicks took the audience at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock on a journey through the past with stories and songs from her five-decade career. Sheila Yount, arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2024 The Bon Jovi Story chronicles the band’s epic, four-decade career, a journey that began in Jersey Shore Clubs and reached rock music’s zenith. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2024 For many African migrants, El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, is now one stop on the long journey to the United States. Terence McGinley, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Their journey is ongoing somewhere in the Pokémon world. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 Looking back on the journey leading up until their big day, the couple went into the ceremony with a lot of love and excitement. Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 The order will conclude the story of Aang’s journey to become the Avatar in fantastical world. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 He’s had three kids and everybody’s had a different journey. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2024
Verb
Long before the condos, around 750 to 500 years ago, Indigenous peoples journeyed to this area to fish. Sarah Sloat, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 Chalamet plays Paul Atreides, who journeys through space to the desert planet Arrakis, where treachery — and giant, toothy sandworms — await. Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 Organized into chapters that mirror the rhythm of everyday life—Welcome, Nourish, Celebrate, Pause, and Wilding—Home in Bloom invites us to journey through the various rooms of the home, each adorned with Chezar's signature arrangements. Christine Chitnis, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2024 In fact, the company was known for having some of the best river cruises in the United States, journeying along the Mississippi, Ohio, and Cumberland rivers on board classic paddle wheelers. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2024 Originally planned as a television series, the movie finds Moana journeying on a dangerous mission to the far seas of Oceania after getting a call from her ancestors. Lindsey Bahr, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 From there, Queen Anne will journey through the Middle East before making for Southeast Asia. Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2024 The family journeyed around the Pacific Southwest, visiting Tonga, then New Zealand and Australia. Georgia Slater, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024 There were countless ways that the OSIRIS-REx mission — named for the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer spacecraft that journeyed to the asteroid — could have gone awry before scientists even received the sample and its unyielding container. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'journey.' 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 and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French jurnee day, day's journey, from jur day, from Late Latin diurnum, from Latin, neuter of diurnus — see journal entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of journey was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near journey

Cite this Entry

“Journey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journey. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

journey

1 of 2 noun
jour·​ney ˈjər-nē How to pronounce journey (audio)
plural journeys
: travel from one place to another

journey

2 of 2 verb
journeyed; journeying
: to go on a journey
journeyer noun
Etymology

Noun

Middle English journey "a trip, travel," from early French journee "day's work, day's journey," from jour "day," derived from Latin diurnus "of a day, daily," from dies "day" — related to diary, journal

Word Origin
The Latin word dies means "day," and diurnus means "of a day." From the word diurnus came the early French jour, meaning "day," and journee, meaning "a day's work, a day's travel." Journee was borrowed into Middle English with both of its meanings, but only the second one, "a day's travel," came into widespread use. The modern form journey now refers to travel without regard to the amount of time taken. The English word journal can also be traced back to the Latin dies. From the adjective diurnus, the word diurnalis, meaning "daily," was formed. This was taken into French as journal. In this form it was borrowed into Middle English. It was at first also used to mean "daily," but it is now found only as a noun in English.

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