travel

noun

Synonyms of travel
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

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 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.
The projects are expected to improve about 18 miles of county roads and make travel safer for drivers. Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026 This essay is part of Going Out, a series of stories celebrating LGBTQIA+ travel. Anton Hur, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 June 2026 At this point, the Essence Essential Oil Nasal Diffusers have earned a spot in my travel pouch alongside lip balm, hand sanitizer, and Advil. Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 9 June 2026 Breathable Cotton Cotton clothing, but specifically poplin, has a crispness to it, even after a day of travel, says Coe. Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for travel

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of travel was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Travel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/travel. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

travel

1 of 2 verb
trav·​el ˈtrav-əl How to pronounce travel (audio)
traveled or travelled; traveling or travelling -(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce travel (audio)
1
: to journey from place to place or to a distant place
2
: to move or advance from one place to another
the news traveled fast

travel

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: the act or means of traveling
air travel is fast
b
: journey entry 1, trip
often used in plural
2
plural : an account of one's travels
Etymology

Middle English travailen "torment, labor, strive, journey," from early French travailler "torment, labor," from an unrecorded Latin verb tripaliare "to torture," from Latin tripalium "an instrument of torture," literally "three stakes," derived from tri- "three" and palus "stake, pale" — related to pale entry 3, travail

Word Origin
With our modern cars, ships, and airplanes and our many restaurants and hotels, travel today is not difficult. But in the Middle Ages roads were poor and places to eat and sleep were far apart. Travel was hard, uncomfortable work—even torture. In fact, our word travel comes from a Latin word that meant "torture." Many devices were used in the Middle Ages for torture in an effort to force confessions from persons accused of crimes. One of these devices, called in Latin a tripalium, gave us our word travel. The word tripalium, literally "three stakes," was derived from Latin tri-, meaning "three" and palus, meaning "stake, pale." This word is thought to have been the source of the Latin verb tripaliare, meaning "to torture." In early French the word became travailler, with both the meaning "to torment" and the meaning "to work hard." This early French word was taken into Middle English as travailen, with the meaning "to work hard" and "to travel." In time these two meanings became separated into different words, travail, which means "hard work," and travel, which means "to go on a trip."

More from Merriam-Webster on travel

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster