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tradition

American  

[truh-dish-uhn] / trəˈdɪʃ ən /

noun

• traditions
  plural

1. 

   the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice.

   a story that has come down to us by popular tradition.

2. something that is handed down.

   the traditions of the American South.

   Synonyms:

   usage, convention, habit, practice, custom

3. a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting.

   The rebellious students wanted to break with tradition.

4. a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices.

5. a customary or characteristic method or manner.

   The winner took a victory lap in the usual track tradition.

6. Theology.

   1. (among Jews) body of laws and doctrines, or any one of them, held to have been received from Moses and originally handed down orally from generation to generation.

   2. (among Christians) a body of teachings, or any one of them, held to have been delivered by Christ and His apostles but not originally committed to writing.

   3. (among Muslims) a hadith.

7. Law. an act of handing over something to another, especially in a formal legal manner; delivery; transfer.

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tradition British  

/ trəˈdɪʃən /

noun

1. the handing down from generation to generation of the same customs, beliefs, etc, esp by word of mouth

2. the body of customs, thought, practices, etc, belonging to a particular country, people, family, or institution over a relatively long period

3. a specific custom or practice of long standing

4. Christianity a doctrine or body of doctrines regarded as having been established by Christ or the apostles though not contained in Scripture

5. (often capital) Judaism a body of laws regarded as having been handed down from Moses orally and only committed to writing in the 2nd century _ad

6. the beliefs and customs of Islam supplementing the Koran, esp as embodied in the Sunna

7. law Roman law Scots law the act of formally transferring ownership of movable property; delivery

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• countertradition
  noun
• nontradition
  noun
• traditionist
  noun
• antitradition
  adjective
• protradition
  adjective
• traditionless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• traditions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of tradition

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English tradicion, from Old French, from Latin trāditiōn- (stem of trāditiō ) “a handing over or down, transfer,” equivalent to trādit(us), past participle of trādere “to give over, impart, surrender, betray” ( trā-, variant of trāns- trans- + -ditus, combining form of datus “given”; see date ¹) + -iōn- -ion

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Explanation

Traditions are longstanding customs and practices. It might be a family tradition to open Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, started because your parents were too impatient to wait. The noun tradition has Latin roots in the word tradere, which means hand over or hand down. So think of a tradition as something that is handed down from one generation to another. Fireworks on the Fourth of July are a national tradition, and playing your school's fight song at the start of the football game is probably a longstanding tradition designed to get the fans excited for the game.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tradition traditions

This way, your friends can still buy you a drink if that’s what they’re used to doing on birthdays, and you get to keep your hospitality tradition, but in a more affordable way.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

He blames a tradition of risk aversion and a hierarchical organization.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

"In France, we have this tradition and history of revolting," says Alcidor in Paris.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

The prize, announced at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday, awarded Carson “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Tansy grabbed up the cowbell on her desk and rang it over her head, introducing a new tradition to orthography.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

One of my favorite things about being a Texan is being right next door to such beautiful cultural traditions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

She is part of her daughter’s family life and she shares games, traditions and routines with her granddaughter.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

In European traditions, the handwritten Torah scroll, which contains the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, is protected with ceremonial coverings and adornments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

"Dominoes is one of the cultural traditions that has endured, that still exists, and that keeps us united," she said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Some of the scales that sound "exotic" to the Western ear are taken from the musical traditions of eastern Europe, the Middle East, and western Asia.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

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Related Words

• belief
• culture
• custom
• ethic
• folklore
• form
• habit
• heritage
• idea
• institution
• law
• legend
• lore
• myth
• mythology
• orthodoxy
• practice
• ritual
• wisdom

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