trekked; trekking
1
: to make one's way arduously
broadly
: journey
2
chiefly South Africa
a
: to travel by ox wagon
b
: to migrate by ox wagon or in a train of such
trekker
noun
1
: a trip or movement especially when involving difficulties or complex organization : an arduous journey
2
chiefly South Africa
: a journey by ox wagon
especially
: an organized migration by a group of settlers
Synonyms
Examples of trek in a Sentence
Verb
We had to trek up six flights of stairs with our groceries.
On their vacation last year they went trekking in the Himalayas.
We trekked across the country in her old car.
Noun
Our car broke down and we had a long trek back to town.
a trek across the country
Recent Examples on the Web
David Owen, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2023
From trekking with mountain gorillas to a safari in Akagera National Park (and water skiing in one of Africa’s Great Lakes), there are at least a thousand reasons to visit the Land of a Thousand Hills.
—Katie Jackson, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 2023
Of course, travelers hoping to hit the slopes will want to visit during the winter, while hikers hoping to trek up Mount Rainier should wait until summer.
—Scott Bay, Travel + Leisure, 14 Sep. 2023
Eye wall replacement is just one of the phenomena Hurricane Lee has demonstrated during its week trekking across the Atlantic.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 13 Sep. 2023
Physical exertion — say, trekking 10 miles up steep terrain with a heavy backpack — can make a chilly day feel fiery.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023
Nando and Roberto, who trek eastwards towards Chile in search of help, may be the notional heroes, but the film is rather poignant in its resistance, against the conventional rules of screenwriting, to singling them out as such.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023
Media buyers and advertisers trek from one midtown Manhattan venue to the next, where the major media companies try to wow them with sizzle reels, celebrities and musical performances.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2023
Among those who trekked through the sludge was DJ Diplo, who spent hours hiking in the mud to try to get to his concert hours later in Washington, DC.
—Nouran Salahieh, CNN, 4 Sep. 2023
Kyle Denis, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2023
The announcement came just one day after the K-pop rapper/singer/songwriter ended his Agust D trek in support of his debut album D-Day wrapped with three shows from Aug. 4 to 6 at Seoul's KSPO Dome.
—Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 18 Sep. 2023
The climbers use the next days to practice skills and trek to 17,750 feet to acclimatize at Lobuche High Camp; some, including Kirby, will ascend Lobuche Peak.
—Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 17 Sep. 2023
In August alone, almost 82,000 people made the trek through the Darién, according to Panamanian officials, by far the largest single-month total on record.
—Julie Turkewitz, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2023
The trek launches in California in February and stretches across North America for six weeks before moving to Europe, then returns to North America in May before concluding in Rodrigo’s home of Los Angeles on August 14.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
Jacobs made the trek in 2016, moving its corporate hub from Pasadena to Dallas’ Harwood District.
—Irving Mejia-Hilario, Dallas News, 13 Sep. 2023
Right before the trek kicked off, the rapper quietly canceled seven shows on the original itinerary, and the Kid Laroi was dropped as one of the openers.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2023
The trek across the Darién Gap, a stretch of remote, roadless, mountainous rainforest connecting South and Central America, is one of the most popular and perilous walks on earth.
—Michael Rios, CNN, 7 Sep. 2023
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Verb
Christian pilgrims used to trek to a shelter on a nearby ridge in order to contemplate the cross.
—David Owen, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2023
From trekking with mountain gorillas to a safari in Akagera National Park (and water skiing in one of Africa’s Great Lakes), there are at least a thousand reasons to visit the Land of a Thousand Hills.
—Katie Jackson, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 2023
Of course, travelers hoping to hit the slopes will want to visit during the winter, while hikers hoping to trek up Mount Rainier should wait until summer.
—Scott Bay, Travel + Leisure, 14 Sep. 2023
Eye wall replacement is just one of the phenomena Hurricane Lee has demonstrated during its week trekking across the Atlantic.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 13 Sep. 2023
Physical exertion — say, trekking 10 miles up steep terrain with a heavy backpack — can make a chilly day feel fiery.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023
Nando and Roberto, who trek eastwards towards Chile in search of help, may be the notional heroes, but the film is rather poignant in its resistance, against the conventional rules of screenwriting, to singling them out as such.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023
Media buyers and advertisers trek from one midtown Manhattan venue to the next, where the major media companies try to wow them with sizzle reels, celebrities and musical performances.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2023
Among those who trekked through the sludge was DJ Diplo, who spent hours hiking in the mud to try to get to his concert hours later in Washington, DC.
—Nouran Salahieh, CNN, 4 Sep. 2023
Noun
The new tour, her first headlining arena trek, will visit major cities across the U.S. and Europe and feature supporting acts such as The Breeders, PinkPantheress, Chappell Roan and Remi Wolf.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2023
The announcement came just one day after the K-pop rapper/singer/songwriter ended his Agust D trek in support of his debut album D-Day wrapped with three shows from Aug. 4 to 6 at Seoul's KSPO Dome.
—Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 18 Sep. 2023
The climbers use the next days to practice skills and trek to 17,750 feet to acclimatize at Lobuche High Camp; some, including Kirby, will ascend Lobuche Peak.
—Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 17 Sep. 2023
In August alone, almost 82,000 people made the trek through the Darién, according to Panamanian officials, by far the largest single-month total on record.
—Julie Turkewitz, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2023
The trek launches in California in February and stretches across North America for six weeks before moving to Europe, then returns to North America in May before concluding in Rodrigo’s home of Los Angeles on August 14.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
Jacobs made the trek in 2016, moving its corporate hub from Pasadena to Dallas’ Harwood District.
—Irving Mejia-Hilario, Dallas News, 13 Sep. 2023
Right before the trek kicked off, the rapper quietly canceled seven shows on the original itinerary, and the Kid Laroi was dropped as one of the openers.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2023
The trek across the Darién Gap, a stretch of remote, roadless, mountainous rainforest connecting South and Central America, is one of the most popular and perilous walks on earth.
—Michael Rios, CNN, 7 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trek.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near trek
Cite this Entry
“Trek.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trek. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
trek
1 of 2 verb
trekked; trekking
1
chiefly South African
: to travel or migrate by ox wagon or in a train of such wagons
2
: to make one's way slowly and painfully
trekker
noun
trek
2 of 2 noun1
chiefly South African
: an organized journey or migration of a group of settlers traveling by ox wagon
2
: a slow or difficult journey
Etymology
Verb
from Afrikaans trek, "to travel by ox wagon," from Dutch trecken "to haul, pull"
More from Merriam-Webster on trek
Nglish: Translation of trek for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of trek for Arabic Speakers
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