traverse
Americanverb (used with object)
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to pass or move over, along, or through.
- Synonyms:
- cross
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to go to and fro over or along.
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to extend across or over.
A bridge traverses the stream.
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to go up, down, or across (a rope, mountain, hill, etc.) at an angle.
The climbers traversed the east face of the mountain.
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to ski across (a hill or slope).
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to cause to move laterally.
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to look over, examine, or consider carefully; survey; consider.
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to contradict or deny.
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Law.
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(in the law of pleading) to deny formally (an allegation of fact set forth in a previous pleading).
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to join issue upon.
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to turn and point (a gun) in any direction.
verb (used without object)
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to pass along or go across something; cross.
a point in the river where we could traverse.
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to ski across a hill or slope on a diagonal.
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to turn laterally, as a gun.
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Fencing. to glide the blade toward the hilt of the contestant's foil while applying pressure to the blade.
noun
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the act of passing across, over, or through.
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something that crosses, obstructs, or thwarts; obstacle.
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a transversal or similar line.
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a place where one may traverse or cross; crossing.
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Architecture. a transverse gallery or loft of communication in a church or other large building.
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a bar, strip, rod, or other structural part placed or extending across; crosspiece; crossbar.
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a railing, lattice, or screen serving as a barrier.
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Nautical.
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the zigzag track of a vessel compelled by contrary winds or currents to sail on different courses.
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each of the runs in a single direction made in such sailing.
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Fortification.
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a defensive barrier, parapet, or the like, placed transversely.
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a defensive barrier thrown across the terreplein or the covered way of a fortification to protect it from enfilade fire.
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Gunnery. the horizontal turning of a gun so as to make it point in any required direction.
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Machinery.
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the motion of a lathe tool or grinding wheel along a piece of work.
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a part moving along a piece of work in this way, as the carriage of a lathe.
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Surveying. a series of intersecting surveyed lines whose lengths and angles of intersection, measured at instrument stations, are recorded graphically on a map and in numerical form in data tables.
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Law. a formal denial of some matter of fact alleged by the other side.
adjective
verb
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to pass or go over or back and forth over (something); cross
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(tr) to go against; oppose; obstruct
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to move or cause to move sideways or crosswise
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(tr) to extend or reach across
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to turn (an artillery gun) laterally on its pivot or mount or (of an artillery gun) to turn laterally
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(tr) to look over or examine carefully
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(tr) law to deny (an allegation of fact), as in pleading
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(intr) fencing to slide one's blade towards an opponent's hilt while applying pressure against his blade
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mountaineering to move across (a face) horizontally
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(tr) nautical to brace (a yard) fore and aft
noun
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something being or lying across, such as a transom
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a gallery or loft inside a building that crosses it
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maths another name for transversal
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an obstruction or hindrance
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fortifications a protective bank or other barrier across a trench or rampart
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a railing, screen, or curtain
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the act or an instance of traversing or crossing
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a path or road across
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nautical the zigzag course of a vessel tacking frequently
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law the formal denial of a fact alleged in the opposite party's pleading
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surveying a survey consisting of a series of straight lines, the length of each and the angle between them being measured
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mountaineering a horizontal move across a face
adjective
adverb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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traversalnoun
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traversernoun
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retraverseverb
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nontraversableadjective
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traversableadjective
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untraversableadjective
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untraversedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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traversesimple
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traversessimple
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have traversedperfect
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has traversedperfect
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am traversingprogressive
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are traversingprogressive
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is traversingprogressive
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have been traversingperfect progressive
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has been traversingperfect progressive
Past
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traversedsimple
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had traversedperfect
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was traversingprogressive
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were traversingprogressive
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had been traversingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of traverse
First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English traversen, from Middle French traverser ”to cross,” from Late Latin trānsversāre, derivative of Latin trānsversus ( see trans-, versus); (noun) Middle English travers(e), from Middle French traverse (from Latin trānsversa “something lying across,” feminine of trānsversus ) and travers (from Latin trānsversum passage across, neuter of trānsversus )
Explanation
The verb traverse means to travel across an extended area. "Her dream was to traverse the country by car, so she could meet new people and see all the kitschy sites — like the giant roadside tire in Michigan or the shoe house in Pennsylvania." The verb traverse can also mean "to span," to span a physical space or time. "The bridge traversed the river, linking the two cities." Traverse can be used for any crossing, but it often is used when implying the crossing will be difficult. "She was exhausted from traveling in the snowy conditions, but she still had to traverse an icy bridge before she would arrive safely home."
Vocabulary lists containing traverse
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Of course, we also go for stories that are larger than life, that traverse beyond this realm into a place that only movies can go.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
The bridge pinches off faster than light could traverse it, rendering it non-traversable.
From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026
Older residents who need mobility aids such as walkers or wheelchairs are left without options to traverse their own neighborhoods because of the broken sidewalks, she told The Times afterward.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
A skeptic could find plenty cause for gloom: Oil tankers still can’t freely traverse the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
I know bits of The Flower Drum Song, which I sing as we traverse the courtyard and mount the steps to the bathhouse.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
With nothing but a handheld camcorder, a man traverses endless corridors and rooms adorned with soft-chartreuse wallpaper.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
The course traverses the city, starting off in Stormont in east Belfast then heading south.
From BBC ● May 3, 2026
Combined with the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz—some 20% of the world’s oil traverses through the narrow waterway—$150 oil may not be so far-fetched.
From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026
He traverses the region, covering its conflicts, crises, cultures and socioeconomic trends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
She turns right, then left, traverses half a block and steps neatly through the open door of a shop.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Volunteers and paid canvassers have traversed neighborhoods on foot to talk to local businesses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
A description says it happened over Lake Huron in February 2023, around the time that a Chinese surveillance balloon traversed the United States, spurring increased scrutiny of UFOs.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
On Tuesday, two Chinese tankers carrying crude oil traversed the Strait of Hormuz.
From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026
Simpson White Ford Bronco theme traversed the streets of Los Angeles once again.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
“Easy for you to say. You’ve traversed time and space. Where you come from, I bet everyone thinks good stuff about you.”
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
Vasquez’s fears stemmed less from corporate backlash and more from his past life as a raver traversing Orange County and L.A.’s late-night scenes.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
At least by someone who has spent four months traversing the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
The pressure is all the greater given the doldrums the whole games industry has been traversing for more than two years, Blanchet noted.
From Barron's ● May 26, 2026
Often lately have I thought of a sentence in Patrick Leigh Fermor’s “A Time of Gifts,” his account of traversing Europe on foot in the early 1930s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
The family sat through a long-winded commencement address delivered by Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole, and then Billie snapped pictures of a grinning Chris traversing the stage to receive his diploma.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.