Definition of transient
1a : passing especially quickly into and out of existence : transitory transient beautyb : passing through or by a place with only a brief stay or sojourn transient visitors
2 : affecting something or producing results beyond itself
transiently
adverbExplore Merriam-Webster
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
Did You Know?
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
First Known Use: 1599
Synonym Discussion of transient
Definition of transient
1 : one that is transient (see 1transient): such asa : a guest or boarder who stays only brieflyb : a person traveling about usually in search of work
2a : a temporary oscillation that occurs in a circuit because of a sudden change of voltage or of loadb : a transient current or voltage
Origin and Etymology of transient
see 1transient
First Known Use: 1652
TRANSIENT Defined for English Language Learners
transient
playDefinition of transient for English Language Learners
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: not lasting long
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: staying somewhere only a short time
transient
playDefinition of transient for English Language Learners
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: 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
Definition of transient for Students
: not lasting or staying long a transient illness transient workers
Definition of transient for Students
: a person traveling about usually in search of work
Medical Dictionary
Learn More about transient
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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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