transient

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

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

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

The taller the vehicle, the higher the center of gravity and the harder the suspension must work to contain transient motions of roll, pitch and dive.

— dan neil, WSJ, "2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake: A Souped-Up Station Wagon for Crossover Drivers," 13 Apr. 2018
Officials in the Washington area say the struggle to recruit and retain good cops is even harder in a transient area where federal alternatives are abundant.

— rachel weiner, Washington Post, "First responders in Northern Virginia push for higher pay," 7 Apr. 2018
Instead, the Ordinance prohibits hosts from renting a unit that is not approved for transient occupancy on a short-term basis and Plaintiffs from completing a booking transaction and receiving a fee for doing so.

— jack greiner, Cincinnati.com, "Airbnb: Court case suggests Cincinnati's proposed regulations may survive challenge," 3 Apr. 2018
Shawn Bond, 37, was transient and suffered from untreated mental-health issues and drug addiction when he was reported missing, the sheriff’s office said.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "Remains found on Tulalip Reservation were those of man missing since 2015," 27 Mar. 2018
Health officials are offering free vaccines for the most at-risk populations: the homeless or transient, drug users and those who are around them.

— beth warren, The Courier-Journal, "Here's what we know about the Kroger hepatitis A case," 5 Mar. 2018
Steiner and his colleagues plan to return to Pakistan this year to continue installing temperature and rain sensors around Khurdopin and training area residents to monitor the glacier and its transient lake.

— katherine kornei, Scientific American, "A Glacier in Pakistan Surges with Clocklike Regularity," 1 Apr. 2018
Past school shootings have usually had transient effects on public opinion, if any.

— dylan matthews, Vox, "More Americans say guns are the country’s top issue than ever have before," 29 Mar. 2018
The Scheels Overland Park Soccer Complex is funded through a transient guest tax.

— steve vockrodt, kansascity, "A $234 million soccer development is in limbo as developers want more city money | The Kansas City Star," 22 Mar. 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

Most childhood complaints are transient and result from common illnesses.

— william alperstein, m.d., and judy schaechter, m.d., miamiherald, "Pediatric cancer: warning signs and symptoms | Miami Herald," 17 Apr. 2018
Most of the time, POCD is transient and patients get better in several months.

— judith graham, Washington Post, "What We Know And Don’t Know About Memory Loss After Surgery," 12 Apr. 2018
Travis Vanhorn, described by police as a transient, was arrested Thursday morning by North Precinct officers in the 400 block of First Street West.

— ivana hrynkiw, AL.com, "Man stabbed in west Birmingham, injuries not life-threatening," 12 Apr. 2018
Brister is a transient with ties to San Bernardino and Big Bear City, Ryan added.

— j. harry jones, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Suspected burglar's victim turns out to be martial arts expert, ex-Hells Angel," 27 Feb. 2018
Fortunately, smartphone blindness of this kind is transient.

— susan crawford, WIRED, "What Are Screens Doing to Our Eyes—And Our Ability to See?," 27 Mar. 2018
But the Betsy Ross isn’t all greasy spoon and transients.

— caroline leavitt, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Brass,’ by Xhenet Aliu," 17 Jan. 2018
Importantly, in young individuals, these effects are transient and return to normal once the infection was cleared.

— laura haynes, Newsweek, "Here's How The Flu Attacks Your Body—And Why It's So Painful," 17 Feb. 2018
For decades, the festival was transient, held at Luckenbach and Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth, but as of late its seems to have found a home at the Circuit of the Americas.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Sturgill Simpson leads Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic lineup for 2018," 6 Mar. 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

Definition of transient

transiently

Examples of transient in a Sentence

Recent Examples of transient from the Web

How Should You Use transient?

Origin and Etymology of transient

transient Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Related Words

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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