transient

adjective tran·sient \ ˈtran(t)-sh(ē-)ənt ; ˈtran-zē-ənt , ˈtran(t)-sē- ; ˈtran-zhənt , -jənt \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

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Examples: transient in a Sentence

Editor's Note: How Should You Use transient?

Definition of transient

1 a : passing especially quickly into and out of existence : transitory

transient beauty

b : passing through or by a place with only a brief stay or sojourn

transient visitors

2 : affecting something or producing results beyond itself

—

transiently

adverb

See transient defined for English-language learners

See transient defined for kids

Examples of transient in a Sentence

A Summer in New York is actually Europe, the Sequel—city of transient Danes and Italians and Spaniards and French. —Guy Trebay, Village Voice, 30 July 1991
But Vandenberg, who had already written a hagiographic biography of Hamilton, was doing his personal hero no service. Rather, he trivialized him by dragging him into the transient issues of the day. —John Steele Gordon, American Heritage, July/August 1990
The mountain lies between his residence and the main road, and occludes the expectation of transient visits. —Thomas Jefferson, letter, 4 Aug. 1820

Recent Examples of transient from the Web

Experts say Orlando’s tourist and transient population makes the region susceptible to traffickers, who often prey on poor and drug-addicted women and children.

— stephen hudak, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orange County's crisis shelter for human-trafficking victims is full — and that may be a good thing," 12 July 2018
Airbnb customers began paying an 8.7 percent in transient bed tax at the beginning of this month.

— maggie menderski, The Courier-Journal, "Airbnb earns millions of dollars during Derby. This year, Louisville can finally collect," 10 Apr. 2018
Hathcock said college recruiters look at how transient an athlete is in his high school career.

— richard obert, azcentral, "Obert: Make Arizona high school football transfers sit out playoffs," 29 June 2018
That type of transient lifestyle is the hardest part of making and maintaining friends, Johnson says.

— taylor seely, USA TODAY, "MOM FRIENDS | Part 1: Why is it so hard to make and keep friendships with other parents?," 29 June 2018
There aren’t that many, because the city has historically been so transient.

— charlotte wilder, SI.com, "Imagine Dragons Fires Up Hometown Crowd Before Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final," 31 May 2018
The population of Miami Beach is so transient that many locals weren't around during Washington Avenue's heyday in the 1990s.

— rene rodriguez and kyra gurney, miamiherald, "After decades of neglect, South Beach's Washington Avenue is getting a major renovation | Miami Herald," 4 May 2018
This is not to say the transient view of negotiations is preferable.

— i. william zartman, WSJ, "Kim Jong Un and the Art of the Asian Deal," 24 June 2018
However, Schmidt said that millennials’ voter rolls were likely more falsely inflated than other generations due to the transient nature of young people.

— holly otterbein, Philly.com, "Millennials were the only generation whose voter turnout increased in Philly this year," 18 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'transient.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

How Should You Use transient?

A transient mood is one that passes quickly. A brief stopover in a town on your way to somewhere else is a transient visit. A summer job on a farm is transient work, lasting only as long as the growing season. You may occasionally experience a transient episode of dizziness or weakness, which vanishes without a trace. As a noun, transient means a person who passes through a place, staying only briefly. The hoboes and tramps of earlier years were some of our most colorful transients, known for hopping freight trains, panhandling on the street, and stealing homemade pies cooling on the windowsill.

Origin and Etymology of transient

Latin transeunt-, transiens, present participle of transire to cross, pass by, from trans- + ire to go — more at issue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1599

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

transient Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of transient

transient, transitory, ephemeral, momentary, fugitive, fleeting, evanescent mean lasting or staying only a short time. transient applies to what is actually short in its duration or stay.

- a hotel catering primarily to transient guests

transitory applies to what is by its nature or essence bound to change, pass, or come to an end.

- fame in the movies is transitory

ephemeral implies striking brevity of life or duration.

- many slang words are ephemeral

momentary suggests coming and going quickly and therefore being merely a brief interruption of a more enduring state.

- my feelings of guilt were only momentary

fugitive and fleeting imply passing so quickly as to make apprehending difficult.

- let a fugitive smile flit across his face
- fleeting moments of joy

evanescent suggests a quick vanishing and an airy or fragile quality.

- the story has an evanescent touch of whimsy that is lost in translation

transient

noun tran·sient \ ˈtran(t)-sh(ē-)ənt ; ˈtran-zē-ənt , ˈtran(t)-sē- ; ˈtran-zhənt , -jənt \

Definition of transient

1 : one that is transient (see ¹transient): such as

a : a guest or boarder who stays only briefly

b : a person traveling about usually in search of work

2 a : a temporary oscillation that occurs in a circuit because of a sudden change of voltage or of load

b : a transient current or voltage

See transient defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of transient from the Web

Weary travelers see the stores as friendly and convenient, modern meccas for the nation's transient, mobile culture.

— j.d. gallop, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Nearly half a dozen people have died in Walmart parking lots in Brevard County since 2015," 24 June 2018
Authorities identified the man as 36-year-old James Rey Richard Kagaoan, a transient whose last reported address was in Sun Valley.

— andy nguyen, latimes.com, "‘It was just completely savage’: Good Samaritan recounts stopping knife attack at Burbank restaurant," 29 June 2018
The martial arts move – like one would see in an action movie – was executed flawlessly Monday in downtown Los Angeles after the transient went after a man walking his dog in an unprovoked attack, Los Angeles police told Fox 11.

— greg norman, Fox News, "Video shows bystander taking out violent homeless man with impressive flying kick," 27 June 2018
But the case disintegrated on the eve of trial when DNA tests urged by defense lawyer Mary Ellen Attridge revealed Stephanie Crowe’s blood on a shirt worn by a transient seen in the Crowe family's neighborhood the night of the killing.

— greg moran, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Families in high profile cases come out in final days of DA race," 2 June 2018
Those who ride in the early mornings encounter the most transients, according to the agency’s monthly counts.

— rachel swan, San Francisco Chronicle, "BART’s cat-and-mouse game to keep SF stations clean," 28 Apr. 2018
Brook Lopez Lopez was a transient piece for the Lakers—a stop-gap center who allowed young lineups to maintain some sense of normalcy.

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "NBA Free Agency 2018: Top 50 Players Available," 25 June 2018
Bars, brothels, and hotels sprang up to cater to rail-riding transients and part-time workers.

— zoie matthew, Los Angeles Magazine, "Here’s What’s Being Done to End L.A.’s Homelessness Crisis," 14 June 2018
Authorities announced that the suspect, Manuel Ortiz, a 27-year-old transient, now faces a murder charge and his bail has increased to $2 million.

— melissa etehad, latimes.com, "Man stabbed on Montebello bus dies of injuries two months after attack," 12 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of transient

see ¹transient

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1652

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

TRANSIENT Defined for English Language Learners

transient

adjective

Definition of transient for English Language Learners

: not lasting long
: staying somewhere only a short time

transient

noun

Definition of transient for English Language Learners

: a person who does not have a permanent home and who stays in a place for only a short time before going somewhere else

TRANSIENT Defined for Kids

transient

adjective tran·sient \ ˈtran-shənt \

Definition of transient for Students

: not lasting or staying long

a transient illness

transient workers

transient

noun

Definition of transient for Students

: a person traveling about usually in search of work

Medical Dictionary

transient

adjective tran·sient \ ˈtran-zē-ənt , ˈtranch-ənt \

medical Definition of transient

: passing away in time : existing temporarily

transient symptoms

Learn More about transient

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for transient Spanish Central: Translation of transient Nglish: Translation of transient for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of transient for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about transient

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transient

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transiently

Examples of transient in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of transient

transient Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Synonym Discussion of transient

transient

Definition of transient

Recent Examples of transient from the Web

Origin and Etymology of transient

TRANSIENT Defined for English Language Learners

transient

Definition of transient for English Language Learners

transient

Definition of transient for English Language Learners

TRANSIENT Defined for Kids

transient

Definition of transient for Students

transient

Definition of transient for Students

Medical Dictionary

transient

medical Definition of transient

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