traverse

[ trav-ers, truh-vurs ]

verb (used with object)

, trav·ersed, trav·ers·ing.

1. to pass or move over, along, or through.

   Synonyms: cross

2. to go to and fro over or along.
3. to extend across or over:

   A bridge traverses the stream.

4. to go up, down, or across (a rope, mountain, hill, etc.) at an angle:

   The climbers traversed the east face of the mountain.

5. to ski across (a hill or slope).
6. to cause to move laterally.
7. to look over, examine, or consider carefully; survey; consider.
8. to go counter to; obstruct; thwart.
9. to contradict or deny.

   Synonyms: challenge, dispute, gainsay

10. Law.
    1. (in the law of pleading) to deny formally (an allegation of fact set forth in a previous pleading).
    2. to join issue upon.
11. to turn and point (a gun) in any direction.

verb (used without object)

, trav·ersed, trav·ers·ing.

1. to pass along or go across something; cross:

   a point in the river where we could traverse.

2. to ski across a hill or slope on a diagonal.
3. to turn laterally, as a gun.
4. Fencing. to glide the blade toward the hilt of the contestant's foil while applying pressure to the blade.

noun

1. the act of passing across, over, or through.
2. something that crosses, obstructs, or thwarts; obstacle.
3. a transversal or similar line.
4. a place where one may traverse or cross; crossing.
5. Architecture. a transverse gallery or loft of communication in a church or other large building.
6. a bar, strip, rod, or other structural part placed or extending across; crosspiece; crossbar.
7. a railing, lattice, or screen serving as a barrier.
8. Nautical.
   1. the zigzag track of a vessel compelled by contrary winds or currents to sail on different courses.
   2. each of the runs in a single direction made in such sailing.
9. Fortification.
   1. a defensive barrier, parapet, or the like, placed transversely.
   2. a defensive barrier thrown across the terreplein or the covered way of a fortification to protect it from enfilade fire.
10. Gunnery. the horizontal turning of a gun so as to make it point in any required direction.
11. Machinery.
    1. the motion of a lathe tool or grinding wheel along a piece of work.
    2. a part moving along a piece of work in this way, as the carriage of a lathe.
12. 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. Compare closed traverse.
13. Law. a formal denial of some matter of fact alleged by the other side.

adjective

1. lying, extending, or passing across; transverse.

traverse

/ ˈtrævɜːs; trəˈvɜːs /

verb

1. to pass or go over or back and forth over (something); cross
2. tr to go against; oppose; obstruct
3. to move or cause to move sideways or crosswise
4. tr to extend or reach across
5. to turn (an artillery gun) laterally on its pivot or mount or (of an artillery gun) to turn laterally
6. tr to look over or examine carefully
7. tr law to deny (an allegation of fact), as in pleading
8. intr fencing to slide one's blade towards an opponent's hilt while applying pressure against his blade
9. mountaineering to move across (a face) horizontally
10. tr nautical to brace (a yard) fore and aft

noun

1. something being or lying across, such as a transom
2. a gallery or loft inside a building that crosses it
3. See transversal
   maths another name for transversal
4. an obstruction or hindrance
5. fortifications a protective bank or other barrier across a trench or rampart
6. a railing, screen, or curtain
7. the act or an instance of traversing or crossing
8. a path or road across
9. nautical the zigzag course of a vessel tacking frequently
10. law the formal denial of a fact alleged in the opposite party's pleading
11. surveying a survey consisting of a series of straight lines, the length of each and the angle between them being measured
12. mountaineering a horizontal move across a face

adjective

1. being or lying across; transverse

adverb

1. See across
   an archaic word for across

Derived Forms

• traˈversal, noun
• ˈtraversable, adjective
• ˈtraverser, noun

Other Words From

• tra·vers·a·ble adjective
• tra·vers·al noun
• tra·vers·er noun
• non·tra·vers·a·ble adjective
• re·trav·erse verb retraversed retraversing
• un·tra·vers·a·ble adjective
• un·trav·ersed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of traverse¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English traversen, from Middle French traverser ”to cross,” from Late Latin trānsversāre, derivative of Latin trānsversus ( 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 )

Word History and Origins

Origin of traverse¹

C14: from Old French traverser , from Late Latin trānsversāre , from Latin trānsversus transverse

Example Sentences

As the hurts are revealed, they offer unexpected insights that traverse generations.

From Washington Post

Yesterday, that space was traversed by a rioter carrying a Confederate flag.

From Time

As Ellie Mae’s numbers show, the convergence of the lockdown and bargain home loans is luring customers to traverse far more of the passage online.

From Fortune

Big city races are off the cards for 2020, which helps explain the explosion in runners trying to clock the fastest known time traversing everything from the Appalachian Trail to the road through Central Park.

From FiveThirtyEight

More than 800 years ago, Indigenous people in South America traversed more than 7,000 kilometers of open sea to reach eastern Polynesia, a new study suggests.

From Science News

He was known to traverse Brooklyn to visit somebody a decade older than himself in a nursing home.

From The Daily Beast

The heat makes beads of sweat run down your armpits and traverse your hips before dampening your drawers.

From The Daily Beast

Extend your Fourth of July vacation with a trip to Traverse City, also known as the “cherry capital of the world.”

From The Daily Beast

Elizabeth Banks stars as a woman who has to traverse a city after losing her wallet post-one-night stand.

From The Daily Beast

Maps are enormous, and players have to traverse huge amounts of terrain.

From The Daily Beast

The streets, as I have already mentioned, are tolerably lively: peculiar omnibuses and cabriolets traverse them frequently.

From Project Gutenberg

The onward path would then lead through a void which it would require years to traverse.

From Project Gutenberg

Cakes of dates pounded and kneaded together are the food of the Arabs who traverse the deserts.

From Project Gutenberg

Breaking camp, we encountered rich bottom-lands, difficult to traverse because of the rain.

From Project Gutenberg

For greater secrecy of movement, we divided into small parties, aiming to traverse different roads.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• criss-cross
• cross
• cut across
• pass through
• span
• travel over