journey
Americannoun
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journeys
plural
-
a traveling from one place to another, usually taking a rather long time; trip.
a six-day journey across the desert.
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a distance, course, or area traveled or suitable for traveling.
a desert journey.
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a period of travel.
a week's journey.
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passage or progress from one stage to another.
the journey to success.
verb (used without object)
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journeys,
present (3rd person singular)
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journeyed,
past participle, past
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journeying
present participle
noun
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a travelling from one place to another; trip or voyage
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the distance travelled in a journey
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the time taken to make a journey
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verb
Usage
What does journey mean? A journey is a trip, especially one to a faraway place that takes place over a long period of time. The word trip can refer to any instance of traveling from one place to another, no matter how long or short it is. The word journey, though, typically implies a long trip—one that’s at least several hours, and perhaps several months or even years. It also often implies adventure—a journey might even be a quest. A journey may or may not have a planned destination other than whatever lies ahead. The word is also commonly used in a figurative way to liken any lengthy process or progress to such a trip, as in Life is a journey, with many interesting detours. Journey can also be used as a verb meaning to make a long trip, as in We must journey to the land beyond the mountains. Example: My favorite books are about people who make epic journeys around the world.
Synonym Usage
See trip 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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journeysimple
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journeyssimple
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have journeyedperfect
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has journeyedperfect
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am journeyingprogressive
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are journeyingprogressive
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is journeyingprogressive
-
have been journeyingperfect progressive
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has been journeyingperfect progressive
Past
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journeyedsimple
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had journeyedperfect
-
was journeyingprogressive
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were journeyingprogressive
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had been journeyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of journey
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English journee “day,” from Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin diurnāta “a day's time, day's work, etc.,” equivalent to Latin diurn(us) “daily” + -āta, feminine of -ātus -ate 1; see -ade 1
Explanation
If you're looking for a more refined word to call your latest drive to the beach or trip to the mall, try journey — a noun that describes travel from one place to another. From the Old French journée, meaning a “day’s work or travel,” journey doubles as both noun and verb. The noun simply refers to a voyage; the verb is the act of taking that voyage. So you can journey across the Sahara, or tell friends about your journey across the desert if you make it back alive. Either way, you should always remember that life is a journey, not a destination.
Vocabulary lists containing journey
Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Greetings, World Traveler! — List 2
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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:
Famed graphic designer Milton Glaser designed the venue to be “a journey to the promised land, an adventure in imagination, the pursuit of the unexpected.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
CalMac's investigation concluded the valve began to fail on the journey to Arran, then failed completely when the engines were powered up on the sailing to Troon.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
A journey across over 60 miles of sand, cliffs and boardwalks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
That’s because there are several assets and provisions for all stages of your wealth and career journey that can be covered by a prenuptial agreement.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
Every dollar, every thought is about the journey.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
"Equally, if some of those players' journeys go at rapid speed, they might go somewhere else but, of course, that's normal. That's part of football."
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The airport advised passengers to leave extra time for their journeys, adding that the Piccadilly line, which runs services to the airport, also has delays.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
"It will also be a tool to break the business model of cynical migrant smugglers that are exploiting vulnerable people who risk their lives on perilous journeys to Europe," they said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
More recently, golden-years comedies like “Book Club,” “80 for Brady” and way too many movies starring the late Diane Keaton have sent friend groups on journeys that have them reevaluating relationships and life goals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
I heard them talking about his journeys to the North, and I don’t reckon he’s got anything to do with the Gobblers.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
These resonated, she wrote, after "my daughter and I journeyed 10 years with only each other".
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
The woman, a US citizen, journeyed halfway across the globe to reach remote Pitcairn Island after disembarking the cruise ship in Saint Helena, authorities said.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
The group journeyed to a gothic mansion in La Jolla and dressed as Marie Antoinette in extravagant rococo dresses.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026
I’d journeyed 6,500 miles from my home in Nashville, and I was here to win.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
Early in the new year, we journeyed to two grass huts in a secluded valley on the banks of the Mbashe River, known as Tyhalarha, the traditional place of circumcision for Thembu kings.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Evan Mills, a financial advisor at Scholar Advising who works with SpaceX employees, previously told MarketWatch that many of those employees believe in the company’s long-term vision, which includes journeying to Mars.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
In a blaring nightclub in wartime Myanmar, partied-out revellers doze until dawn by the dancefloor, wary of journeying home despite the end of a post-coup curfew.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Today, the island can only be reached at low tide - and people are advised to check the tide times before journeying over.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
Earlier this week, the four astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission rode their Orion craft into the record books, journeying farther beyond their home planet than any humans before them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
I hear: “You’re always journeying whether you like it or not.”
From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
