travel

verb trav·el \ ˈtra-vəl \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Examples: travel in a Sentence

traveled or travelled; traveling or travelling play \ˈtra-və-liŋ, ˈtrav-liŋ\

intransitive verb

1 a : to go on or as if on a trip or tour : journey

b (1) : to go as if by traveling : pass

the news traveled fast

(2) : associate

travels with a sophisticated crowd

c : to go from place to place as a sales representative or business agent

2 a (1) : to move or undergo transmission from one place to another

goods traveling by plane

(2) : to withstand relocation successfully

a dish that travels well

b : to move in a given direction or path or through a given distance

the stylus travels in a groove

c : to move rapidly

a car that can really travel

3 : to take more steps while holding a basketball than the rules allow

transitive verb

1 a : to journey through or over

b : to follow (a course or path) as if by traveling

2 : to traverse (a specified distance)

3 : to cover (an area) as a commercial traveler

— travel light

: to travel with a minimum of equipment or baggage

See travel defined for English-language learners

See travel defined for kids

Examples of travel in a Sentence

The birds are traveling south for the winter.
His job requires him to travel frequently.
She enjoys traveling around Europe.
They traveled cross-country from New York to California.
The pain traveled down his back.
the way that sound travels in an empty room
That car was really traveling when it passed us.
The order is traveling by plane.

Recent Examples of travel from the Web

Abiy and Afwerki traveled across the capital in a large motorcade as people wearing T-shirts with the images of the leaders cheered.

— elias meseret, The Christian Science Monitor, "Ethiopia and Eritrea unite after ending 20-year border war," 9 July 2018
Meanwhile, the Uruguayan FA also released a statement confirming that Torreira had been left behind in Moscow while the rest of the squad travelled home, adding fuel to the rumours that the midfielder is set to join Arsenal.

— SI.com, "Arsenal Target Heading Directly for London After Uruguay Suffer Elimination From World Cup," 8 July 2018
The woman developed symptoms after exposure to a woman who acquired measles while traveling internationally.

— rita giordano, Philly.com, "Second suspected measles case detected in South Jersey," 5 July 2018
About 5,562 unaccompanied children showed up at the border in June, while 12,192 people traveling in family groups were denied entry, the data shows.

— ron nixon, New York Times, "Arrests at U.S.-Mexico Border Drop for First Time in Months," 5 July 2018
The two men had been held by the kidnappers for nearly a week after being abducted on a road while traveling from the central city of Jos to a funeral in the southeastern state of Enugu.

— gerald imray, Fox News, "Nigeria captain hid dad's abduction, played World Cup match," 3 July 2018
The two men had been held by the kidnappers for nearly a week after being abducted on a road while traveling from the central city of Jos to a funeral in the southeastern state of Enugu.

— gerald imray, chicagotribune.com, "Nigeria captain played World Cup match after learning, being forced to keep quiet about father’s kidnapping," 3 July 2018
Many cast members are from the Rocky Hill area, while others travel from all over Connecticut to rehearse the play directed by Liz Daigle and sponsored by the Rocky Hill Parks & Recreation Department.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Wethersfield Edition," 2 July 2018
Aaron Smith, 44, was killed while traveling south on the Seward Highway on a black 1996 Harley Davidson motorcycle, troopers said.

— alex demarban, Anchorage Daily News, "Eagle River motorcyclist killed in Seward Highway crash," 2 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'travel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of travel

Middle English travailen, travelen to torment, labor, strive, journey, from Anglo-French travailler

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

travel Synonyms

Phrases

beat it, get a move on, make tracks, shake a leg, step on it;

travel

noun

1 a : the act of traveling : passage

b : a journey especially to a distant or unfamiliar place : tour, trip —often used in plural

2 travels plural : an account of one's travels

3 : the number traveling : traffic

4 a : movement, progression

the travel of satellites around the earth

b : the motion of a piece of machinery; especially : reciprocating motion

See travel defined for English-language learners

Examples of travel in a Sentence

She doesn't enjoy foreign travel.
Air travel was affected by the storm.
The book discusses the future of travel in outer space.
We extended our travels for another week.

Recent Examples of travel from the Web

The process using photo catalysts is the best option for space travel as the equipment weighs much less than the one needed for electrolysis.

— charles w. dunnill, Scientific American, "Method of Making Oxygen from Water in Zero Gravity Raises Hope for Long-Distance Space Travel," 10 July 2018
With Bird and Lime, streets and even sidewalks are now thoroughfares for travel or for parking.

— NBC News, "The next Uber? Scooter startups flood U.S. cities as funding pours in," 9 July 2018
It's called Cruzando el charco, or Crossing the Puddle—Puerto Rican slang for travel to the mainland.

— martha bayne, Chicago Reader, "Arts / Performing Arts / Visual Art / Theater Y No Había Luz brings the voices of post-Maria Puerto Rico to Chicago," 9 July 2018
Its Sport Mesh Bikini Brief—also available in other cuts—is my top choice for travel.

— kassondra cloos, Outside Online, "The Best Women’s Active Outdoor Underwear," 6 July 2018
Before today’s boating technology, Pier 66’s marina grew popular as a jumping-off point for travel to the Caribbean.

— meryl kornfield, Sun-Sentinel.com, "6 fun things about Pier 66 you probably didn't know," 6 July 2018
People are crowding into U.S. airports at near record levels, leaving airport managers worried that the country’s facilities won’t be able to handle much more of the ever-growing demand for air travel.

— hugo martin, latimes.com, "U.S. airports near new passenger record as demand for air travel continues to grow," 6 July 2018
As Brilinta's sales took off later, however, AstraZeneca and firms selling or developing similar cardiovascular therapies showered the four with money for travel and advice.

— charles piller, Science | AAAS, "Hidden conflicts? Pharma payments to FDA advisers after drug approvals spark ethical concerns," 5 July 2018
Perfect for summer travel with its fresh citrus and ylang ylang aroma, $22.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "How to look cool when it's hot: Your expert style guide for Forecastle," 5 July 2018

First Known Use of travel

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

travel Synonyms

Synonyms

expedition, journey, passage, peregrination, trek, trip;

cruise, sail, voyage;

drive, ride, spin;

grand tour, odyssey, pilgrimage, progress, quest, safari;

hike, slog, tramp, walk;

TRAVEL Defined for English Language Learners

travel

verb

: to go on a trip or journey : to go to a place and especially one that is far away
: to go through or over (a place) during a trip or journey
: to move from one place to another

travel

noun

: the act or activity of traveling
travels : trips or journeys to distant places

TRAVEL Defined for Kids

travel

verb trav·el \ ˈtra-vəl \

traveled or travelled; traveling or travelling

1 : to journey from place to place or to a distant place

2 : to get around : pass from one place to another

The news traveled fast.

3 : to journey through or over

We're traveling the countryside.

—

traveler

or traveller noun

History for travel

For many of us travel is usually for pleasure, so that we are unlikely to associate travel with hard labor or torture. However, the ultimate source of travel is a spoken Latin verb trepaliare, “to torture,” derived from trepalium, a name for an instrument of torture. Trepaliare developed into medieval French travailler, which meant “to torture or torment,” as well as “to suffer or labor.” Middle English borrowed the French verb as travailen with the same sense. But the difficulties of getting from place to place in the Middle Ages, when any journey was an exhausting effort, led medieval speakers of English to apply travailen to making a trip. We still use the word, though travel is now much easier.