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

capitalized : 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

Major incidents in the past few years include: July 2017—Amarnath Yatra Attack: Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists ambushed a bus of Hindu pilgrims returning from the Amarnath cave shrine in Anantnag, killing 7 pilgrims (mostly women) and injuring 19. —Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025

Given that Pope Francis was still in office at the time of his death and that Rome is already full of Catholic pilgrims to celebrate the 2025 Jubilee Year, numbers are expected to be even higher over the coming days. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2025

The hall was built by the Crusaders in the 12th century, though pilgrims have venerated the site as early as the 4th century. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025

The Vatican said that the pope went to confession in St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday morning and gathered in before greeting the pilgrims and the faithful in the square. —Antonia Mortensen, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2025

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