pilgrim

noun

pil·​grim ˈpil-grəm 

1

: one who journeys in foreign lands : wayfarer

2

: one who travels to a shrine or holy place as a devotee

3

Pilgrim : one of the English colonists settling at Plymouth in 1620

Examples of pilgrim in a Sentence

Thousands of Muslim pilgrims traveled to Mecca.

Recent Examples on the Web

Many travelers and pilgrims remain stranded in the Middle East. —Cara Anna, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026

As of Thursday, more than 58,860 Indonesian pilgrims were stranded in Saudi Arabia, according to Indonesia’s Vice Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak. —ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026

Tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and diplomats’ families are stranded across Middle East as Iran war escalates, with airlines canceling flights and airspace closed. —Stefanie Dazio, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026

Hama’s own family lived within the Citadel for at least seven generations, and his grandfather used to arrange trips for pilgrims to Makkah for Hajj and Umrah. —Nicola Chilton, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French pelerin, pilegrin, from Late Latin pelegrinus, alteration of Latin peregrinus foreigner, from peregrinus, adjective, foreign, from peregri abroad, from per through + agr-, ager land — more at for, acre

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pilgrim

• pilgrim bottle

Kids Definition

pilgrim

noun

pil·​grim ˈpil-grəm 

1

: one who journeys in foreign lands : traveler

2

: a person who travels to a shrine or holy place to worship

3

capitalized : one of the English colonists who founded the first permanent settlement in New England at Plymouth in 1620