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plural journeys
1
: something suggesting travel or passage from one place to another
the journey from youth to maturity
a journey through time
2
: an act or instance of traveling from one place to another : trip
a three-day journey
going on a long journey
3
chiefly dialectal
: a day's travel
Did you know?
The Latin adjective diurnus means “pertaining to a day, daily”; English diurnal stems ultimately from this word. When Latin developed into French, diurnus became a noun, jour, meaning simply “day” The medieval French derivative journee meant either “day” or “something done during the day,” such as work or travel. Middle English borrowed journee as journey in both senses, but only the sense “a day’s travel” survived into modern usage. In modern English, journey now refers to a trip without regard to the amount of time it takes. The verb journey developed from the noun and is first attested in the 14th century.
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Noun
a long journey across the country
She's on the last leg of a six-month journey through Europe.
We wished her a safe and pleasant journey.
Verb
She was the first woman to journey into space.
an intense yearning to journey to distant lands
Recent Examples on the Web
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2023
The Gamecocks, led by star Aliyah Boston, are four wins from completing their own historic journey and back-to-back national championships.
—Doug Feinberg, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2023
The Gamecocks, led by star Aliyah Boston, are four wins from completing their own historic journey and back-to-back national championships.
—Doug Feinberg, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2023
Kuranda Scenic Railway, Australia This journey takes guests through one of the world’s oldest rainforests in Queensland, Australia.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2023
But it's not been an easy journey for the comedian thus far.
—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2023
Princeton coach Mitch Henderson, who played in the landmark win over UCLA 27 years ago, traced this journey to the 2020-21 season, which the Ivy League canceled because of the pandemic.
—Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Mar. 2023
As an orphan of Shu descent, this could be an interesting journey for her.
—Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 18 Mar. 2023
The pilgrims, sweating in the morning heat and humidity, would look forward to the cool shade of the forest at the end of their journey.
—Mahima Jain, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2023
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2023
Each film is an adventure for our viewers to experience and journey into new, unknown and interesting subjects.
—Linda Chase, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2023
The annual change spurs more than a million wildebeests and their young to journey up to 1,750 miles in pursuit of food and water.
—National Geographic, 30 Nov. 2021
These new revelations of family history spurred the young dancer/choreographer to journey to Algeria in 2009 to more deeply connect with his roots and the country’s dark history.
—Karen Campbell, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Jan. 2023
In 2023, an international event will enable a group of enthusiasts and a fleet of McLarens to journey to all three Aman resorts in Japan, offering yet another innovative way to discover singular people, cars and locales.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 27 Dec. 2022
If someone like Rigby will never be truly safe, we’re left to understand, he’s healed enough to keep going, to journey forward in time on his own.
—oregonlive, 8 Feb. 2022
UNICEF Colombia teams often journey for hours to reach remote communities where the risks from lack of WASH resources are especially acute.
—Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022
For that to happen, the mRNA must journey out of the nucleus and into the cytoplasm where the protein-making factories reside.
—Alla Katsnelson And Casey Rentz, Discover Magazine, 3 May 2019
See More
Noun
Now wiser from previous experiences, Oladipo, 30, knows each season is its own journey.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2023
The Gamecocks, led by star Aliyah Boston, are four wins from completing their own historic journey and back-to-back national championships.
—Doug Feinberg, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2023
The Gamecocks, led by star Aliyah Boston, are four wins from completing their own historic journey and back-to-back national championships.
—Doug Feinberg, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2023
Kuranda Scenic Railway, Australia This journey takes guests through one of the world’s oldest rainforests in Queensland, Australia.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2023
But it's not been an easy journey for the comedian thus far.
—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2023
Princeton coach Mitch Henderson, who played in the landmark win over UCLA 27 years ago, traced this journey to the 2020-21 season, which the Ivy League canceled because of the pandemic.
—Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Mar. 2023
As an orphan of Shu descent, this could be an interesting journey for her.
—Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 18 Mar. 2023
The pilgrims, sweating in the morning heat and humidity, would look forward to the cool shade of the forest at the end of their journey.
—Mahima Jain, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2023
Verb
The four main characters journey through China — from the city to the suburbs — encountering new friends and old family members.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2023
Each film is an adventure for our viewers to experience and journey into new, unknown and interesting subjects.
—Linda Chase, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2023
The annual change spurs more than a million wildebeests and their young to journey up to 1,750 miles in pursuit of food and water.
—National Geographic, 30 Nov. 2021
These new revelations of family history spurred the young dancer/choreographer to journey to Algeria in 2009 to more deeply connect with his roots and the country’s dark history.
—Karen Campbell, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Jan. 2023
In 2023, an international event will enable a group of enthusiasts and a fleet of McLarens to journey to all three Aman resorts in Japan, offering yet another innovative way to discover singular people, cars and locales.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 27 Dec. 2022
If someone like Rigby will never be truly safe, we’re left to understand, he’s healed enough to keep going, to journey forward in time on his own.
—oregonlive, 8 Feb. 2022
UNICEF Colombia teams often journey for hours to reach remote communities where the risks from lack of WASH resources are especially acute.
—Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022
For that to happen, the mRNA must journey out of the nucleus and into the cytoplasm where the protein-making factories reside.
—Alla Katsnelson And Casey Rentz, Discover Magazine, 3 May 2019
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'journey.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French jurnee day, day's journey, from jur day, from Late Latin diurnum, from Latin, neuter of diurnus — see journal entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Time Traveler
The first known use of journey was
in the 13th century
Articles Related to journey
Dictionary Entries Near journey
Cite this Entry
“Journey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journey. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.
Kids Definition
journey
2 of 2 verb
journeyed; journeying
: to go on a journey
journeyer
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on journey
Nglish: Translation of journey for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of journey for Arabic Speakers
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