traveler

American  

[trav-uh-ler, trav-ler] / ˈtræv ə lər, ˈtræv lər /

especially British, traveller

noun

• travelers
  plural

1. a person or thing that travels.

2. a person who travels or has traveled in distant places or foreign lands.

3. traveling salesman.

4. part of a mechanism constructed to move in a fixed course.

5. Textiles. (in ring spinning) a small metal device that moves rapidly around the ring and guides the yarn onto the revolving bobbin.

6. Nautical.

   1. a metal ring or thimble fitted to move freely on a rope, spar, or rod.

   2. Also called horse. the rope, spar, or rod itself.

7. Theater. Also traveler curtain. a transverse curtain opened by being drawn from both sides of the proscenium.

8. (often initial capital letter) a member of any of a number of traditionally itinerant peoples of the British Isles and other English-speaking areas, including, in addition to people of Romani origin, Indigenous groups such as the speakers of Shelta.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nontraveler
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• travelers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of traveler

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English travaillour; see travel, -er ¹

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Explanation

If you take frequent trips across the country or around the world, you are a traveler. Take a plane to Mexico, and all the other passengers are travelers, just like you. Some people travel often, for work or fun, and they are travelers. Even if you're leaving your hometown for the very first time, you're considered a traveler while you are traveling. The trick to this word is that it sounds like it should have two Ls (and in Canada and the U.K., it's spelled traveller), but in the U.S. there's only one.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

traveler travelers

“It’s honestly time all these scents are banned the same way smoking has been banned pretty much everywhere,” one traveler complained on Reddit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

For the poor in spirit, he was a fellow traveler.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

You never know when you might need to patch up a cut, disinfect a wound, or even help an injured traveler on the side of the road.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Mr. Chabal, a professor of history at the University of Edinburgh, is sympathetic but not so much of a fellow traveler as to follow his subject down the road to perdition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Professor Croaker’s law—the furthest someone can go back in time without the possibility of serious harm to the traveler or time itself is five hours.

From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling

A major surgery inspires a mother-son adventure through Iceland’s remote Westfjords, where winding roads, thundering waterfalls and uneven hiking trails offer both travelers a test.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Tony Roach, Southwest’s chief customer and brand officer, said Southwest debated names at length but kept it simple because that’s what frequent travelers know best.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Caltrans said several investigations concluded the bridge is safe for travelers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Leisure travelers rarely accumulate stays with one chain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

The old man called the travelers around him and seated himself on the ground.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

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Related Words

• adventurer
• commuter
• hiker
• migrant
• passenger
• pilgrim
• sailor
• tourist

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