transient

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

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

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

Chemotherapy almost always causes transient nausea and hair loss.

— marie mccullough, Philly.com, "What the latest news on breast cancer, chemo and genomic testing could mean for you," 5 June 2018
Applicants must have lived in the district for at least six months to be eligible, so transient urban folk may slip through the safety-net.

— The Economist, "Ethiopia’s scheme to help the poor is setting an example," 31 May 2018
The council nixed a recommendation from the city’s Finance & Pension Advisory Committee to raise the local transient occupancy tax — charged for motel and hotel stays — to 10% from 8%.

— luke money, latimes.com, "Costa Mesa’s proposed $163.7-million budget brings calls for caution about spending and fees," 31 May 2018
Born on March 29, 1975, in Winston-Salem, N.C., Mr. Lupton had a transient’s childhood owing to his father’s career in the Army.

— joe coscarelli, New York Times, "Stewart Lupton, Singer for ’90s Band Jonathan Fire*Eater, Is Dead at 43," 29 May 2018
And now MacKenzie asked how the Golden Knights, a team of misfits predicted to struggle, grew into a massive cultural phenomenon in such a transient town.

— jesse dougherty, chicagotribune.com, "Las Vegas, shaken by tragedy, finds an unlikely rallying point: Its first-year NHL team," 27 May 2018
The record number of hotel visits brought a new high of more than $7 million in revenue from transient occupancy tax, the room surcharge known as TOT, the report shows.

— phil diehl, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Tourism spending up 10 percent in Oceanside," 25 May 2018
Staff is also seeking council direction on whether to move ahead with a possible increase to the transient occupancy tax charged for motel and hotel stays.

— luke money, latimes.com, "Costa Mesa council will discuss next city budget at special meeting," 25 May 2018
Life in golf's minor leagues is anything but glamorous, a transient existence of temporary housing (cheap hotel rooms or spare rooms in the houses of host families) and mind-numbing interstate commutes from tournament to tournament.

— jeff duncan, NOLA.com, "After 15 years of trying, Covington golf pro Michael Arnaud finally wins big," 24 May 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

More recently, an influx of wealthy transients has caused property prices to more than double in the past five years, according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

— Bloomberg.com, "Is Vail Resorts Killing Whistler’s Spirit?," 9 Apr. 2018
The suspect is described as a white transient male in his 40s with a stocky build and was wearing a red shirt,according to Tansey.

— city news service, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Homeless man stabbed in Mission Beach," 21 Apr. 2018
In one case, a transient swung a PVC pipe at people nearby.

— scott mclean and sara weisfeldt, CNN, "Colorado governor won't rule out banning marijuana again. Here's why," 20 Apr. 2018
Detectives arrested Manuel Ortiz, a 27-year-old transient, at about 1 a.m. Monday while Ortiz was being treated at a medical facility for unspecified reasons, the Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

— hailey branson-potts, latimes.com, "Suspect in Montebello bus stabbing arrested," 12 Apr. 2018
Nonetheless, a pickup in the annual core CPI gain will help vindicate Fed policy makers’ assertion that transient factors were restraining inflation last year.

— sho chandra, Bloomberg.com, "U.S. Inflation Finally Set to Break Free From Wireless Drag," 10 Apr. 2018
Crawford, a 24-year-old transient, was arraigned Thursday and is being held in the Clackamas County Jail, records show.

— jim ryan, OregonLive.com, "Authorities ID man suspected in machete attack near Gladstone," 5 Apr. 2018
These transients, damaged veterans and struggling families are all as heartbreaking and resilient as Pearl is, and Clement treats them with grace and compassion.

— caroline leavitt, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Gun Love,’ by Jennifer Clement," 5 Apr. 2018
Importantly, in young individuals, these effects are transient and return to normal once the infection was cleared.

— laura haynes, Philly.com, "What the flu virus does to your body, and why you feel so miserable," 12 Feb. 2018