Definition of travel
traveled
ortravelled
;traveling
ortravelling
play \ˈtra-və-liŋ, ˈtrav-liŋ\intransitive verb
1a : to go on or as if on a trip or tour : journeyb (1) : to go as if by traveling : pass the news traveled fast (2) : associate travels with a sophisticated crowdc : to go from place to place as a sales representative or business agent
2a (1) : to move or undergo transmission from one place to another goods traveling by plane (2) : to withstand relocation successfully a dish that travels wellb : to move in a given direction or path or through a given distance the stylus travels in a groovec : to move rapidly a car that can really travel
3 : to take more steps while holding a basketball than the rules allow
transitive verb
1a : to journey through or overb : 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
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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
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Irwin traveled to Washington with K-State adjunct professor Jess Kerr and student Nate Faflick, later teaming up with other demonstrators from Maine for the protest.
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The team will then travel back to Aberdeen to host the Vermont Lake Monsters Thursday through Saturday.
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But unlike most grads, the story Ramla told with a tweet travelled around the world, touching the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people.
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In the days before takeoff, United will reach out to passengers scheduled to travel on a packed flight and offer to move them to one at a less popular time in exchange for rewards, such as a $250 voucher.
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Furth has been traveling to Israel since 2011 to train the researchers in collections management.
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Tillerson travels next to Saudi Arabia, which is leading the blockade of Qatar.
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The half-hour series follows a family of would-be musicians traveling the country hoping to find fame that has so far eluded them.
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The eldest Obama daughter has been busy this summer, traveling with her family while also interning at Harvey Weinstein.
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
travel
Definition of travel
1a : the act of traveling : passageb : 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
4a : movement, progression the travel of satellites around the earthb : the motion of a piece of machinery; especially : reciprocating motion
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
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Tobey Grumet Segal is a writer based in Brooklyn, specializing in technology, travel, food, and culture.
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Continued reporting for this project is supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Merck for Mothers Follow our families on Instagram as their travels continue.
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All appear to have acquired the virus through travel, though Zika can be transmitted through sex as well.
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.
First Known Use of travel
14th century
TRAVEL Defined for English Language Learners
travel
playDefinition of travel for English Language Learners
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: to go on a trip or journey : to go to a place and especially one that is far away
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: to go through or over (a place) during a trip or journey
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: to move from one place to another
travel
Definition of travel for English Language Learners
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: the act or activity of traveling
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travels : trips or journeys to distant places
TRAVEL Defined for Kids
Definition of travel for Students
traveled
ortravelled
;traveling
ortravelling
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
ortraveller
nounHistory 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.
Learn More about travel
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See words that rhyme with travel Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for travel Spanish Central: Translation of travel Nglish: Translation of travel for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of travel for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about travel
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