trek
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to travel or migrate slowly or with difficulty, often through rough or unsettled territory.
He managed to escape from a Siberian labor camp and trekked to Iran, a three-year journey.
-
to hike long distances as a recreational activity, especially over rough terrain.
He's trekked through the Himalayas and summited Mt. Kilimanjaro.
-
to make a short but difficult trip on foot.
We trekked back to our hotel in the pouring rain.
-
South Africa. to travel by ox wagon.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a slow or difficult journey, hike, or trip.
-
South Africa.
-
a migration or expedition, especially by ox wagon.
-
a stage of such a journey, between one stopping place and the next.
-
noun
-
a long and often difficult journey
-
a journey or stage of a journey, esp a migration by ox wagon
verb
-
(intr) to make a trek
-
(tr) (of an ox, etc) to draw (a load)
Other Word Forms
- trekker noun
- untrekked adjective
Etymology
Origin of trek
First recorded in 1845–50; from Afrikaans and Dutch noun trek “a tug, pull, march”; verb from Afrikaans trek “to draw, pull, migrate,” from Dutch trekken
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.
Gilbert Cyril Gerard was born Jan. 23, 1943, in Little Rock, Ark., and trekked to New York City in 1969 to give acting a shot, studying at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.
From Los Angeles Times
Fish waited until November 2025 to make his first trek to North America with an 11-date run featuring his first U.S. festival booking.
From Los Angeles Times
He trekked to China to meditate with monks at a Shaolin temple.
It’s hard to imagine a riskier trek, but he managed to pull it off, traveling through cities and towns with a telephoto lens.
Hernández, his wife and their teen son had trekked 100 miles from their rural village to the nation’s capital, walking with heavy backpacks all day and sleeping under the stars at night.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
