traipse

verb

traipsed; traipsing

intransitive verb

: to go on foot : walk
traipsed over to the restaurant
children traipsing at her heels
also : to walk or travel about without apparent plan but with or without a purpose
a week traipsing through the Ozarks
traipsing from office to office

transitive verb

: tramp, walk
traipse the countryside
traipse noun
Choose the Right Synonym for traipse

wander, roam, ramble, rove, traipse, meander mean to go about from place to place usually without a plan or definite purpose.

wander implies an absence of or an indifference to a fixed course.

fond of wandering about the square just watching the people

roam suggests wandering about freely and often far afield.

liked to roam through the woods

ramble stresses carelessness and indifference to one's course or objective.

the speaker rambled on without ever coming to the point

rove suggests vigorous and sometimes purposeful roaming.

armed brigands roved over the countryside

traipse implies a course that is erratic but may sometimes be purposeful.

traipsed all over town looking for the right dress

meander implies a winding or intricate course suggestive of aimless or listless wandering.

the river meanders for miles through rich farmland

Examples of traipse in a Sentence

I traipsed all over town looking for the right dress. I'm too old to go traipsing around Europe.
Recent Examples on the Web Since mid-July, when the actors’ strike began, the sight of celebrities such as White and his co-star Zac Efron traipsing red carpets has been rare; actors were barred from promoting projects connected to major studios and streamers. Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2023 During the autumns of your youth, the fall season was likely centered around consuming maximal candy corn and traipsing around the neighborhood in an itchy polyester costume. Country Living Staff, Country Living, 9 Sep. 2023 Promoting the landmark has always been controversial in the community immediately surrounding it, where heavy traffic drawn by the sign regularly clogs narrow streets and adventurous tourists traipse through the yards of private Tudor and Spanish colonial homes. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2023 The pictures feature the singer traipsing along an empty beach in a white tank top and light-wash blue jeans—an album-friendly color palette. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2023 As models traipsed the runway on a serendipitously rainy New York day, their faces glistened. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2023 While Lee seems to have suggested that the Fantastic Four combat Galactus, who traipses around the cosmos sucking the energy from entire planets, Kirby’s genius led him to add one of the most surreal and haunting figures in comic history, the Silver Surfer. Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2023 Yet, Biden leads like Bill Clinton traipsing his way through an era of unparalleled American global dominance and economic prosperity. Shay Khatiri, National Review, 12 Sep. 2023 On his recent swings through the state, DeSantis has held town halls and meet-and-greets, popped into small-town coffeehouses, and traipsed through sweaty fairgrounds. Time, 21 Aug. 2023 See More

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

origin unknown

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of traipse was in 1647

Dictionary Entries Near traipse

Cite this Entry

“Traipse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traipse. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

traipse

verb
traipsed; traipsing
: to walk or wander about

More from Merriam-Webster on traipse

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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