transport

American  

[trans-pawrt, -pohrt, trans-pawrt, -pohrt] / trænsˈpɔrt, -ˈpoʊrt, ˈtræns pɔrt, -poʊrt /

verb (used with object)

transports, present (3rd person singular) transported, past participle, past transporting present participle

1. to carry, move, or convey from one place to another.

2. to carry away by strong emotion; enrapture.

3. to send into banishment, especially to a penal colony.

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noun

1. the act of transporting or conveying; conveyance.

2. a means of transporting or conveying, as a truck or bus.

3. a ship or plane employed for transporting soldiers, military stores, etc.

4. an airplane carrying freight or passengers as part of a transportation system.

5. a system of public travel.

6. transportation.

7. strong emotion; ecstatic joy, bliss, etc.

   Synonyms:

   happiness, rapture

8. a convict sent into banishment, especially to a penal colony.

   The country had been colonized largely by transports.

9. Also called tape transport.  Recording. a mechanism that moves magnetic tape past the head in a tape deck or tape recorder.

transport British  

verb

1. to carry or cause to go from one place to another, esp over some distance

2. to deport or exile to a penal colony

3. (usually passive) to have a strong emotional effect on

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noun

1. 1. the business or system of transporting goods or people

   2. ( as modifier )

      a modernized transport system

2. freight vehicles generally

3. 1. a vehicle used to transport goods or people, esp lorries or ships used to convey troops

   2. ( as modifier )

      a transport plane

4. the act of transporting or the state of being transported

5. ecstasy, rapture, or any powerful emotion

6. a convict sentenced to be transported

Synonym Usage

See carry. See ecstasy.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• transporter
  noun
• transportable
  adjective
• countertransport
  noun
• untransportable
  adjective
• transportability
  noun
• nontransportable
  adjective
• nontransportability
  noun
• pretransport
  verb (used with object)
• transportive
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have transported
  perfect
• has transported
  perfect 3rd person singular
• is transporting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been transporting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• are transporting
  progressive
• am transporting
  progressive 1st person singular
• transporting
  participle
• have been transporting
  perfect progressive
• transports
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had transported
  perfect
• were transporting
  progressive plural
• was transporting
  progressive singular
• transported
  participle
• had been transporting
  perfect progressive
• transported
  simple

Future

• will transport
  simple
• will have transported
  perfect
• will be transporting
  progressive
• will have been transporting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of transport

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English transporten (verb), from Latin trānsportāre “to carry across”; equivalent to trans- + port ⁵

Explanation

Transport means to move something, often large quantities of commercial products, over great distances. Container ships transport goods made in China to the U.S., where they will be sold. A pipeline can transport oil. A school bus transports children. Soldiers get their postings but then must wait for news of their transport. If you are in a hurry to get something to market, you might consider using air transport, though that's expensive. Transport is from Latin words meaning "carry across."

Example Sentences

Public transport is also an option, with railway stations nearby at East Midlands Parkway, Derby, Nottingham and Loughborough and official shuttle buses direct to the festival.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

Researchers plan to continue investigating the Altar Stone's origins by identifying its precise source location in northeast Scotland and exploring the routes prehistoric people may have used to transport it.

From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026

So were its transport systems: If this were happening two years ago, the agency likely would have managed the conveyance of Ebola samples from suspected outbreaks to Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, where they could be tested.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026

He also called for expanded economic cooperation, citing the recent reopening of border crossings and transport links.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Eventually the Czech authorities provided free transport by trains for those of us who decided to return to Poland.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

Related Words

• bring
• carry
• ferry
• haul
• lug
• pack
• remove
• ride
• ship
• take