pil·grim·age
ˈpil-grə-mij 
1
: a journey of a pilgrim
especially
: one to a shrine or a sacred place
2
: the course of life on earth
Synonyms
Examples of pilgrimage in a Sentence
Noun
He made a pilgrimage to Mecca.
The family went on a pilgrimage to historical battlefields.
The tradition of pilgrimage is important in Islam.
The poet's grave site has become a place of pilgrimage.
Verb
tourists pilgrimaging to all of the traditional destinations across Europe
Recent Examples on the Web
Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024
The fans who flocked to Footprint Center on Tuesday night were on a pilgrimage to see the relaunch of the E Street Band’s first tour since then — a tour cut short in 2023 as Springsteen was treated for peptic ulcer disease, a potentially serious gastrointestinal condition.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024
Fellow senior Xander Miller co-created a soundtrack for an award-winning documentary made with other students about the pilgrimage.
—Shelby Hawkins, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024
This pilgrimage was a key turning point in the success of the movement.
—Alexia Salvatierra, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2024
The rules tighten controls over religious schools, which must be government-sanctioned, and require that Muslims can only perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca as part of a group organized by the official Islamic Association of China.
—Simina Mistreanu, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024
Creative efforts Returning to a place of trust and acceptance in the fashion industry required Galliano to take a pilgrimage of penance.
—Trey Taylor, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
As if charting the cartography of her soul from her vivacious 20s through the profound 30s to the contemplative 40s, each iteration of Xiao Xia encapsulates the multifaceted essence of a woman’s pilgrimage through life.
—Billboard China, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024
And, in both cases, these writers use words and characters to bring back the great treasures of their literary pilgrimages.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Suhasini Raj, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2023
Some pilgrimages enshrine sorrow, like the Ashura in Iraq, which would be the last stop on my journey; others, like fiesta in Bolivia’s Copacabana, are pilgrimages of joy and rapture.
—Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023
Enter Email Sign Up Similar crushes have happened all over the world, from a soccer stadium in England to the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to Halloween festivities in the South Korean capital.
—Juan Lozano, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023
Nicknamed the sunshine island, this remote landmass is bursting with postcard-perfect fishing villages, white sand beaches, a thriving artistic community, and a restaurant so exceptional that food lovers pilgrimage to it from around the globe.
—Isabelle Kliger, Vogue, 6 Sep. 2023
Fans of the author regularly pilgrimage to Grant Park to visit statues of Cleary’s most famous literary characters, including the irrepressible Ramona, stalwart Henry Huggins and his faithful dog, Ribsy.
—oregonlive, 4 Sep. 2023
But though Lower Mustang was reopened to pilgrimage and trekking in 1992, Upper Mustang remains highly restricted.
—Holly Walters, The Conversation, 4 Aug. 2023
Additional content details pilgrimages to a psychedelic temple, AVOD as a solution for struggling indie doc makers, how documentary filmmakers are dealing with tight budgets and the story behind the pandemic relief bailout.
—William Earl, Variety, 26 July 2023
Soccer megastars have been pilgrimaging to these shores since 1975, when Pelé joined the New York Cosmos of the defunct North American Soccer League.
—Jody Rosen, The New Yorker, 23 July 2023
Noun
For baseball-mad Sacramento, gone will be the I-80 pilgrimage to Oakland as big league baseball will soon be just a short drive away to West Sacramento.
—Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024
The fans who flocked to Footprint Center on Tuesday night were on a pilgrimage to see the relaunch of the E Street Band’s first tour since then — a tour cut short in 2023 as Springsteen was treated for peptic ulcer disease, a potentially serious gastrointestinal condition.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024
Fellow senior Xander Miller co-created a soundtrack for an award-winning documentary made with other students about the pilgrimage.
—Shelby Hawkins, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024
This pilgrimage was a key turning point in the success of the movement.
—Alexia Salvatierra, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2024
The rules tighten controls over religious schools, which must be government-sanctioned, and require that Muslims can only perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca as part of a group organized by the official Islamic Association of China.
—Simina Mistreanu, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024
Creative efforts Returning to a place of trust and acceptance in the fashion industry required Galliano to take a pilgrimage of penance.
—Trey Taylor, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
As if charting the cartography of her soul from her vivacious 20s through the profound 30s to the contemplative 40s, each iteration of Xiao Xia encapsulates the multifaceted essence of a woman’s pilgrimage through life.
—Billboard China, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024
And, in both cases, these writers use words and characters to bring back the great treasures of their literary pilgrimages.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
Access to pilgrimage sites has been a big part of the agenda of the governing Hindu nationalist party.
—Suhasini Raj, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2023
Some pilgrimages enshrine sorrow, like the Ashura in Iraq, which would be the last stop on my journey; others, like fiesta in Bolivia’s Copacabana, are pilgrimages of joy and rapture.
—Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023
Enter Email Sign Up Similar crushes have happened all over the world, from a soccer stadium in England to the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to Halloween festivities in the South Korean capital.
—Juan Lozano, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023
Nicknamed the sunshine island, this remote landmass is bursting with postcard-perfect fishing villages, white sand beaches, a thriving artistic community, and a restaurant so exceptional that food lovers pilgrimage to it from around the globe.
—Isabelle Kliger, Vogue, 6 Sep. 2023
Fans of the author regularly pilgrimage to Grant Park to visit statues of Cleary’s most famous literary characters, including the irrepressible Ramona, stalwart Henry Huggins and his faithful dog, Ribsy.
—oregonlive, 4 Sep. 2023
But though Lower Mustang was reopened to pilgrimage and trekking in 1992, Upper Mustang remains highly restricted.
—Holly Walters, The Conversation, 4 Aug. 2023
Additional content details pilgrimages to a psychedelic temple, AVOD as a solution for struggling indie doc makers, how documentary filmmakers are dealing with tight budgets and the story behind the pandemic relief bailout.
—William Earl, Variety, 26 July 2023
Soccer megastars have been pilgrimaging to these shores since 1975, when Pelé joined the New York Cosmos of the defunct North American Soccer League.
—Jody Rosen, The New Yorker, 23 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pilgrimage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pilgrimage
Cite this Entry
“Pilgrimage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pilgrimage. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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