sojourn
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has sojournedperfect 3rd person singular
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have sojournedperfect
-
has been sojourningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are sojourningprogressive
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is sojourningprogressive 3rd person singular
-
have been sojourningperfect progressive
-
sojourningparticiple
-
am sojourningprogressive 1st person singular
-
sojournssingular 3rd person
Past
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had sojournedperfect
-
were sojourningprogressive plural
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had been sojourningperfect progressive
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was sojourningprogressive singular
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sojournedsimple
-
sojournedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of sojourn
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English verb sojurnen, Old French sojorner “to rest, stay,” from unattested Vulgar Latin subdiurnāre “to stay for a time,” a compound of the preposition and prefix sub, sub-, here meaning “a little, for a while” and the Latin verb diurnāre “to live for a long time,” a derivative of the Latin adjective diurnus “belonging to the daytime, occurring every day”; noun derivative of the verb; see journey
Explanation
A sojourn is a short stay or visit. If you want a fancy way to say that you took a trip to the countryside, you might talk about your country sojourn. The verb is originally from the Latin prefix sub- "under" plus diurnus "of a day." You might refer to your vacation as a sojourn, but it might make more sense if you are describing a trip to Provence rather than a trip to Disney World. Or In figurative use, sojourn means to delve––your math teacher may stop midway through lessons on fractions for a brief sojourn into techniques for slicing pie.
Vocabulary lists containing sojourn
A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Grade 10, List 5
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 14–18
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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.
“Flag Sojourn 250” — was raised over Mississippi, having already covered 40,000 miles of its ongoing international tour of cemeteries, landmarks, governor’s mansions and courthouses.
From Salon • Jan. 3, 2026
In the 2000s he recorded for Sojourn Records, with a repertoire that dipped into blues, country, ragtime, jazz standards, gospel and even a Christmas carol.
From New York Times • Nov. 20, 2022
Church and candidate response: Sojourn Church, McRae and Falconer did not respond to requests for comment.
From Salon • Nov. 7, 2022
Another variation occurs in Sojourn Theatre’s “The Race,” spearheaded by Phoenix-based theater maker Michael Rohd.
From Washington Post • Oct. 26, 2022
Sojourn to holy places, and eating of sanctified butter—these also, without doubt speedily cleanse a man.
From The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 by Ganguli, Kisari Mohan
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.
