tra·verse
trə-ˈvərs 
also tra-ˈvərs,
or
ˈtra-(ˌ)vərs
traversed; traversing
1
a
: to go or travel across or over
b
: to move or pass along or through
light rays traversing a crystal
2
: to make a study of : examine
3
: to lie or extend across : cross
the bridge traverses a brook
4
a
: to move to and fro over or along
b
: to ascend, descend, or cross (a slope or gap) at an angle
c
: to move (a gun) to right or left on a pivot
5
6
: to make or carry out a survey of by using traverses
1
: to move back and forth or from side to side
2
: to move or turn laterally : swivel
3
a
: to climb at an angle or in a zigzag course
b
: to ski across rather than straight down a hill
4
: to make a survey by using traverses
traverser
noun
1
: something that crosses or lies across
3
: a formal denial of a matter of fact alleged by the opposing party in a legal pleading
4
a
: a compartment or recess formed by a partition, curtain, or screen
b
: a gallery or loft providing access from one side to another in a large building
5
: a route or way across or over: such as
a
: a zigzag course of a sailing ship with contrary winds
b
: a curving or zigzag way up a steep grade
c
: the course followed in traversing
6
: the act or an instance of traversing : crossing
7
: a protective projecting wall or bank of earth in a trench
8
a
: a lateral movement (as of the saddle of a lathe carriage)
also
: a device for imparting such movement
b
: the lateral movement of a gun about a pivot or on a carriage to change direction of fire
9
: a line surveyed across a plot of ground
tra·verse
ˈtra-(ˌ)vərs
trə-ˈvərs
trə-ˈvərs
tra-ˈvərs
: lying across : transverse
Synonyms
Examples of traverse in a Sentence
Verb
The candidates traversed the state throughout the campaign.
The river traverses the county.
Recent Examples on the Web
Greg Norman, Fox News, 20 Sep. 2023
Unlike in Los Angeles, newly arriving residents do not need a car to traverse the New York region.
—Miriam Jordan, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2023
Much like Hernández in the film, Márquez Abella is also making history and traversing borders with the biopic: A Million Miles Away is her English-language debut.
—Nicole Froio, refinery29.com, 14 Sep. 2023
Guests of this summer’s Four Seasons Drive Experience spent a week traversing the Alps in brand new Ferraris and vintage Mercedes.
—Paul Jebara, Town & Country, 5 Sep. 2023
North of Linden, the project includes additional lanes on Alabama State Route 69, which traverses north to Moundville.
—John Sharp | Jsharp@al.com, al, 5 Sep. 2023
Last fall, Little Amal traversed all five boroughs of New York City during her first U.S. visit.
—Abigail Gruskin, Baltimore Sun, 14 Sep. 2023
The traction devices are fitted over shoes and can be used to traverse moderate snow.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023
So much of Janet Planet is about traversing space and being in nature.
—Liz Appel, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2023
Camille Bromley, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2023
The House voted unanimously on Thursday to condemn China for letting its surveillance balloon traverse American airspace without warning or apology.
—Kenneth Rapoza, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2023
As for that limestone cliff, it’s set to become the site of an 800-foot horizontal traverse designed for a mountaineering style of climbing called a via ferrata—the very first such urban route in the country.
—Amelia Arvesen, Outside Online, 7 Sep. 2022
And speaking of that, the saw is equipped with 16-inch wheels to help it better ride over bumpy surfaces and traverse stairs, if need be.
—Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 24 Feb. 2021
Enfield residents and visitors alike, numbering in the hundreds, lined Enfield Street on Dec. 5, to watch a parade of fire trucks, construction vehicles, buses and vehicles from local businesses - each one decorated in holiday lights - traverse from South Road to Alden Avenue.
—Steve Smith, courant.com, 9 Dec. 2021
Back in October, a buddy and I hiked the 23-mile Sandia Mountain traverse that goes up and over the entire length of the range outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
—Jakob Schiller, Outside Online, 6 Feb. 2023
During the traverse through Arizona, the Sunset Limited cuts through downtown Tucson (less than 20 minutes south of Saguaro National Park) and passes just south of Phoenix.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2023
Monkey bar traverse: 40 seconds.
—Andrew Heffernan, Men's Health, 15 Feb. 2023
Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023
Inspired by a desire to descend to vents on Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus and enter the subsurface ocean, this versatile robot is being developed to autonomously map, traverse, and explore previously inaccessible destinations on Earth, the moon, and other worlds in our solar system.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 May 2023
The Jeep Wrangler can ford rivers, crawl over boulders, traverse deserts and blaze through uncharted territory.
—Morgan Korn, ABC News, 7 May 2023
In 2007, Homeland Security Investigations, an agency that deals with cases of smuggling that traverse international borders, received information about looted artifacts brought to the New York City area from India.
—Ben Fox, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2021
So the new course is probably going to start in Milwaukee and traverse to southern counties.
—Lori Nickel, Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2023
Parts of the 6-mile trail for off-road biking or hiking are heavily forested and traverse steep ancient dunes; $6 per vehicle.
—Clara Bosonetto, ajc, 17 Dec. 2013
Most of these competitions take place on trails, or terrain off the paved roadways runners traverse during traditional road races.
—Brett Williams, Men's Health, 17 Nov. 2022
The stripe, which will take 50 gallons of blue paint to complete, will be four inches wide and traverse five bridges in the city and approximately 300 intersections.
—Michela Moscufo, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2022
See More
Verb
The website reported that two helicopter crews and multiple police officers rushed to the scene after the man fell off the end of a 120-foot-long ladder known as a via ferrata, which climbers can traverse between cliff faces.
—Greg Norman, Fox News, 20 Sep. 2023
Unlike in Los Angeles, newly arriving residents do not need a car to traverse the New York region.
—Miriam Jordan, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2023
Much like Hernández in the film, Márquez Abella is also making history and traversing borders with the biopic: A Million Miles Away is her English-language debut.
—Nicole Froio, refinery29.com, 14 Sep. 2023
Guests of this summer’s Four Seasons Drive Experience spent a week traversing the Alps in brand new Ferraris and vintage Mercedes.
—Paul Jebara, Town & Country, 5 Sep. 2023
North of Linden, the project includes additional lanes on Alabama State Route 69, which traverses north to Moundville.
—John Sharp | Jsharp@al.com, al, 5 Sep. 2023
Last fall, Little Amal traversed all five boroughs of New York City during her first U.S. visit.
—Abigail Gruskin, Baltimore Sun, 14 Sep. 2023
The traction devices are fitted over shoes and can be used to traverse moderate snow.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023
So much of Janet Planet is about traversing space and being in nature.
—Liz Appel, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2023
Noun
Taken together, the data illustrates, in cinematic detail, a day in the life of a whale: its every breath and every dive, its traverses through fields of sea nettles and jellyfish, its encounters with twirling sea lions.
—Camille Bromley, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2023
The House voted unanimously on Thursday to condemn China for letting its surveillance balloon traverse American airspace without warning or apology.
—Kenneth Rapoza, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2023
As for that limestone cliff, it’s set to become the site of an 800-foot horizontal traverse designed for a mountaineering style of climbing called a via ferrata—the very first such urban route in the country.
—Amelia Arvesen, Outside Online, 7 Sep. 2022
And speaking of that, the saw is equipped with 16-inch wheels to help it better ride over bumpy surfaces and traverse stairs, if need be.
—Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 24 Feb. 2021
Enfield residents and visitors alike, numbering in the hundreds, lined Enfield Street on Dec. 5, to watch a parade of fire trucks, construction vehicles, buses and vehicles from local businesses - each one decorated in holiday lights - traverse from South Road to Alden Avenue.
—Steve Smith, courant.com, 9 Dec. 2021
Back in October, a buddy and I hiked the 23-mile Sandia Mountain traverse that goes up and over the entire length of the range outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
—Jakob Schiller, Outside Online, 6 Feb. 2023
During the traverse through Arizona, the Sunset Limited cuts through downtown Tucson (less than 20 minutes south of Saguaro National Park) and passes just south of Phoenix.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2023
Monkey bar traverse: 40 seconds.
—Andrew Heffernan, Men's Health, 15 Feb. 2023
Adjective
The roughly 90-minute afternoon shows traverse uneven terrain, so prepare accordingly.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023
Inspired by a desire to descend to vents on Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus and enter the subsurface ocean, this versatile robot is being developed to autonomously map, traverse, and explore previously inaccessible destinations on Earth, the moon, and other worlds in our solar system.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 May 2023
The Jeep Wrangler can ford rivers, crawl over boulders, traverse deserts and blaze through uncharted territory.
—Morgan Korn, ABC News, 7 May 2023
In 2007, Homeland Security Investigations, an agency that deals with cases of smuggling that traverse international borders, received information about looted artifacts brought to the New York City area from India.
—Ben Fox, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2021
So the new course is probably going to start in Milwaukee and traverse to southern counties.
—Lori Nickel, Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2023
Parts of the 6-mile trail for off-road biking or hiking are heavily forested and traverse steep ancient dunes; $6 per vehicle.
—Clara Bosonetto, ajc, 17 Dec. 2013
Most of these competitions take place on trails, or terrain off the paved roadways runners traverse during traditional road races.
—Brett Williams, Men's Health, 17 Nov. 2022
The stripe, which will take 50 gallons of blue paint to complete, will be four inches wide and traverse five bridges in the city and approximately 300 intersections.
—Michela Moscufo, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'traverse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French traverser, from Late Latin transversare, from Latin transversus
Noun
Middle English travers, from Anglo-French travers (as in a travers, de travers across), from Latin transversum (as in in transversum set crosswise), neuter of transversus lying across; senses 5–9 in part from traverse entry 1 — more at transverse entry 1
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 5a
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of traverse was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing traverse
Dictionary Entries Near traverse
Cite this Entry
“Traverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traverse. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
traverse
1 of 3 noun
trav·erse
ˈtra-vərs
1
: something that crosses or lies across
2
: a curved or zigzag path along the face of a steep slope
3
: the act or an instance of traversing
stopped to rest in their traverse of the mountain
traverse
2 of 3 verb
tra·verse
trə-ˈvərs
traversed; traversing
1
: to go against : oppose
2
a
: to pass through, across, or over
traversed the historic fields
b
: to lie or extend across
a bridge traverses the river
3
: to make a study of : examine
4
: to move back and forth or from side to side
pedestrians traversing the busy intersection
5
: to climb or ski at an angle or in a zigzag course
traverse
3 of 3 adjective
trav·erse
ˈtra-(ˌ)vərs,
trə-ˈvərs
: lying across : transverse
Legal Definition
traverse
1 of 2 noun
tra·verse
ˈtra-ˌvərs, trə-ˈvərs
: a denial of a matter of fact alleged in the opposing party's pleadings
also
: a pleading in which such a denial is made
traverse
2 of 2 transitive verb
tra·verse
trə-ˈvərs, ˈtra-ˌvərs
: to deny (as an allegation of fact or an indictment) in a legal proceeding
Etymology
Transitive verb
Anglo-French traverser, literally, to lay across, bar, impede, from Old French, from Late Latin transversare to cross, from Latin transversus lying across
More from Merriam-Webster on traverse
Nglish: Translation of traverse for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of traverse for Arabic Speakers
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