transit

1 of 2

noun

1
a(1)
: conveyance of persons or things from one place to another
(2)
: usually local transportation especially of people by public conveyance
also : vehicles or a system engaged in such transportation
b
: an act, process, or instance of passing through or over
2
a
: passage of a celestial body over the meridian of a place or through the field of a telescope
b
: passage of a smaller body (such as Venus) across the disk of a larger (such as the sun)
3
: a theodolite with the telescope mounted so that it can be transited

transit

2 of 2

verb

transited; transiting; transits

intransitive verb

: to make a transit

transitive verb

1
a
: to pass over or through
b
: to cause to pass over or through
2
: to pass across (a meridian, a celestial body, or the field of view of a telescope)
3
: to turn (a telescope) over about the horizontal transverse axis in surveying

Examples of transit in a Sentence

Noun the problems of urban transit Verb once you transit that stretch of dense woods, the hiking should be much easier
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Friday is the least popular day for in-person work, and Gov. Philip D. Murphy said the transit agency was fortunate the strike had not started on a busier day. Matthew Haag, New York Times, 17 May 2025 All of which is to say, New Jersey is learning the hard way now the lesson New York and its Metropolitan Transportation Authority has learned over recent decades, one that the MTA and state lawmakers smartly reacted to by launching a congestion pricing program to reduce traffic and fund transit. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 17 May 2025
Verb
Instead of transiting through busier hubs like Sydney or Brisbane, passengers can now island-hop via Nadi and arrive directly in the heart of Tropical North Queensland. Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025 American Airlines also announced in February a trial program to make connecting easier for passengers transiting through London's Heathrow Airport. Zach Wichter, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for transit

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English transite, from Latin transitus, from transire to go across, pass

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of transit was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Transit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transit. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

transit

1 of 2 noun
1
: an act, process, or example of passing through or over : passage
2
: the transporting of persons or things from one place to another
goods lost in transit
3
: local transportation of people in public vehicles
also : the vehicles or system used in such transportation
4
: a surveyor's instrument for measuring angles

transit

2 of 2 verb
: to pass or cause to pass over, through, or across
Etymology

Noun

from Latin transitus "passage, journey," from transire "to go across, pass," from trans- "across, beyond" and ire "to go" — related to issue, itinerary

More from Merriam-Webster on transit

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