transition

1 of 2

noun

tran·​si·​tion tran(t)-ˈsi-shən  tran-ˈzi- 

 chiefly British  tran(t)-ˈsi-zhən

plural transitions

1

a

: a change or shift from one state, subject, place, etc. to another

a peaceful/orderly transition of power

the actor's transition to directing

the patient's transition from the hospital to home

… the transition from print reading to screen reading has increased our reliance on images …

—Christine Rosen

The program works with newcomer families, and their students, to help support the transition and integration into the school system.

—Chris Sumner

The National Portrait Gallery's emphasis in its caricature collection underscores the field's subtle transition between the world wars, when it went from mostly political uses to the light-hearted entertainment of celebrity caricature.

—Jane Addams Allen

… having told all her griefs …, she was soon able to make a voluntary transition to the oddities of her cousin …

—Jane Austen

Since the eye retains images slightly longer than it is actually exposed to them, it tends to meld two successive images into one, creating a smooth transition between them. This phenomenon … is responsible for the illusion of motion in movies … and television.

—Edward Pincus and Steven Ascher

b

: a period or phase in which such a change or shift is happening

… you're at the cusp, kids. You're at the edge between childhood and everything that comes after. You're in transition.

—R. J. Palacio

… non-REM sleep, which normally comprises the transition between waking and REM sleep …

—Marina Chicurel

Perched at the very point of transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance …

—Kirkus Reviews

… today's average marrying age in America happens to coincide with a time of life when people have historically been less religiously active: the transition period between moving out of your parents' house and starting a household of your own.

—Emma Green

2

: something that links one state, subject, place, etc. to another : a connecting part or piece

[The front porch] served … as a vital transition between the uncontrollable out-of-doors and the cherished interior of the home.

—Reynolds Price

: such as

a

: a passage of discourse in which a shift (as of subject or location) is effected

Every aspect of the book—its narrative transitions, dramatic changes in pictorial scale, fluctuations of mood, interlinking of visual themes—is handled with pinpoint control.

—Holland Cotter

b

: a segment connecting one dramatic scene to another

Another misstep: the overuse of historical footage as a transition between scenes. The images are disruptive and used completely out of context, often predating the era depicted here.

—Nicole Herrington

c

: a passage linking two sections of a piece of music : bridge

Furthermore, in two instances where new musical ideas are introduced … Mozart provides a musical transition to connect the new section with the preceding one.

—Michael Nott

It's a complicated emotion, and one that needed to be looked at and felt for quite some time before being hooked up with anything as confining as an intro, a verse or three, a chorus, and a bridge (transition between verse and chorus).

—Carly Simon

also : a musical modulation (see modulation sense 3)

Occasionally composers will introduce their new key area abruptly. More often, however, they will effect a smooth transition into the new key.

—Edward Aldwell and Carl Schachter

3

: a process by which a transgender or nonbinary (see nonbinary sense c) person comes to live in accordance with their gender identity through changes to their appearance and presentation often with the aid of medical procedures and therapies

Note: While many associate this meaning of transition with a process that involves hormone therapy, gender confirmation surgery, and legal name change, the term is also applied more broadly, since what transition involves can vary a great deal from person to person. In some cases, for example, the word transition may simply refer to the adoption of new personal pronouns and/or a change in clothing, hairstyle, etc.

4

: an abrupt change in energy state or level (as of an atomic nucleus or a molecule) usually accompanied by loss or gain of a single quantum of energy

transition

2 of 2

verb

transitioned; transitioning; transitions

1

a

intransitive : to make a change or shift from one state, subject, place, etc. to another : to make a transition

transitioning to a new facility

a student transitioning into college

Too many of the exterior shingles had transitioned from weathered to warped, and the interior walls all needed a fresh coat of paint.

—Richard Russo

Because tornadoes are generated when these different air masses … collide, they are most common in the spring, when the weather is transitioning from cold on the northern Plains to hot on the Gulf Coast.

—Donald Prothero

b

transitive : to cause (something or someone) to change or shift from one state, subject, place, etc. to another

Teaching children to read first in their nonstandard Swedish dialect and then transitioning them to standard Swedish speeds and improves the acquisition of reading skills.

—Geoffrey K. Pullum

In the United States, the company's plans for transitioning prescription products to over-the-counter is easier now, as the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) unwritten standards for such switches have evolved.

—Robin Madell

2

intransitive of a transgender person : to come to live in accordance with one's gender identity through a process that involves changes to one's appearance and presentation often with the aid of medical procedures and therapies

Not all transgender people transition, and transitions look different for all kinds of people. They can be fast, or slow, and include lots of different kinds of treatments. … Transition is not one-size-fits-all. You may be comfortable altering your gendered existence without hormones or surgery; other people will feel those kinds of physical transitions are necessary for their survival.

—Diana Tourjée

… her [Jan Morris'] superb account of transitioning from male to female in the 1960s, when it was even more difficult than it is now.

—Peter Bradshaw

… she wanted to be helpful to other trans people who might not have had the same educational and cultural advantages she'd had. She had even written a guide about the practical aspects of transitioning, such as changing your name and updating legal documents, for others who might be following a similar path.

—Rebecca Mead

Examples of transition in a Sentence

Noun

We want to have a smooth transition when the new owners take control of the company.

the sometimes difficult transition from childhood to adulthood

The country made a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.

Verb

The company has transitioned to new management in the past year.

a student who is transitioning to a new school

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Vibrant leaf colors are synonymous with the fall season, marking the transition from summer's greenery to a palette of reds, oranges, and yellows. —Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025

The Celtics committed 10 turnovers before halftime, which helped doom them to an impossibly bad performance in defensive transition. —Jay King, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025

Verb

Moskovitz announced his departure as Asana’s CEO earlier this year and has transitioned into the role of chairman, while retaining an ownership of 53% of the company’s outstanding shares between Class A and Class B holdings. —Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2025

Tailored for researchers, innovators, and companies developing field robotics, the Flex enables rapid testing, iteration, and scaling, allowing users to transition from lab to field applications. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin transition-, transitio, from transire

First Known Use

Noun

1545, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1877, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing transition

• gender transition
• in transition
• transition metal

Rhymes for transition

• addition
• admission
• ambition
• attrition
• audition
• clinician
• cognition
• coition
• commission
• condition
• contrition
• dentition

Kids Definition

transition

1 of 2 noun

tran·​si·​tion tran(t)s-ˈish-ən 

tranz-

1

: a changing from one state, stage, place, or subject to another

2

: a musical passage leading from one section of a piece to another

transitional

-ˈish-nəl 

-ˈizh-

-ən-ᵊl

adjective

transitionally

-ē

adverb

transition

2 of 2 verb

: to make a transition

transitioning to a new school

Medical Definition

transition

1 of 2 noun

tran·​si·​tion tran(t)s-ˈish-ən 

tran-ˈzi-,

 chiefly British  tran(t)-ˈsi-zhən

1

: a change or shift from one state or stage to another

also : a period or phase in which such a change or shift is happening

2

or transition mutation : a point mutation in RNA or DNA that results from the substitution of one purine base for the other or of one pyrimidine base for the other

3

: a process by which a transgender person comes to live in accordance with their gender identity through changes to their appearance and presentation often with the aid of medical procedures and therapies

Note: While many associate this meaning of transition with a process that involves hormone therapy, gender confirmation surgery, and legal name change, the term is also applied more broadly, since what transition involves can vary a great deal from person to person. In some cases, for example, the word transition may simply refer to the adoption of new personal pronouns and/or a change in clothing, hairstyle, etc.

transition

2 of 2 intransitive verb

of a transgender person

: to come to live in accordance with one's gender identity through a process that involves changes to one's appearance and presentation often with the aid of medical procedures and therapies