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:
Researchers studying the origins of Stonehenge's Altar Stone have proposed a new possibility for how the enormous rock began its journey from Scotland to southern England.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
Accepting the award on Tuesday night at London's Roundhouse, Smith reflected on her "crazy" music journey and took a moment to mark the achievements of artists.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Diego Rivera protege’s paintings journey from dumpster to museum.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
What made you agree to appear on camera and connect your journey to hers?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Worthless as he was, he was the only company I had on this journey.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
There, the discussion shifted from seven-part heroes’ journeys centered on skipping little luxuries like Starbucks to drink-based dominance theory.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Charities step in to help some people leave on chartered planes, as well as via long, excruciating journeys on overcrowded trains and buses.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
There have been 250,000 journeys since, a spokesperson for Wiltshire Connect said.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
When metro services stop running, expensive cab journeys are Olha's only option.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Frank Wild, his second-in-command, had been with him on his two previous journeys south and had spent a total of six years in Antarctica, logging more than 5,000 miles of sledging.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
A group of U.S. executives also journeyed to Caracas to discuss potential investments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 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
He and his family journeyed for hundreds of miles by cart from Tartu in southern Estonia to Hamburg in northern Germany.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026
Humans have journeyed roughly 25 billion km beyond our planet, yet drilling beneath Earth's surface has only reached a depth of just over 12 km.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 5, 2026
Raymie wondered if they had maybe, somehow, journeyed to a different world, the four of them together.
From "Raymie Nightingale" by Kate DiCamillo
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
Well, I have just had the privilege of spending a month journeying - literally and figuratively - through some of the divisions that define modern Britain, for a Radio 4 series.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
That’s a worthy destination for the journeying Mr. Burnham.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
The four astronauts on NASA's Artemis 2 mission began their fifth day journeying to the Moon on Sunday, after already taking in sights of the lunar surface never before seen by human eyes.
From Barron's ● Apr. 5, 2026
And in time, I may find myself his first mate whether I want to or not, journeying to points exotic so that I might make another dive, and another, and another.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
