traveler
Americannoun
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a person or thing that travels.
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a person who travels or has traveled in distant places or foreign lands.
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part of a mechanism constructed to move in a fixed course.
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Textiles. (in ring spinning) a small metal device that moves rapidly around the ring and guides the yarn onto the revolving bobbin.
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Nautical.
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a metal ring or thimble fitted to move freely on a rope, spar, or rod.
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Also called horse. the rope, spar, or rod itself.
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Theater. Also traveler curtain. a transverse curtain opened by being drawn from both sides of the proscenium.
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(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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of traveler
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English travaillour; see travel, -er 1
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.
Vocabulary lists containing traveler
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:
The traveler arrived on British Airways flight 281, from London, at Gate 155 in the international terminal July 3.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
It’s important to note that the hardcore World Cup fans don’t represent the average European traveler, according to Joseph Foudy, a professor of economics at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
Yet a time traveler dropped into the peak of the dot-com bubble wouldn’t have had to know anything about that transformative technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Midtown Global Market and Powderhorn Park — If you’re the kind of traveler who struggles to choose just one place to eat, Midtown Global Market is your answer.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
The Greek Pausanias, an ardent traveler, the author of the first guidebook ever written, has a good deal to say about the mythological events reported to have happened in the places he visited.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Some travelers in their 60s and 70s complain that while the child-free policy is nice, the vibe is too stale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
New concourses, expanded corridors and improved passenger facilities have reshaped the transit hub, which serves hundreds of thousands of commuters and travelers each day and remains the busiest rail station in the United States.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
More important, no small part of the fun is in discovering each new universe alongside the travelers, and in the transformation of familiar environments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
I heard from several travelers with flight issues this week, so I thought it was the perfect time to check in on how the major U.S. airlines are performing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The travelers lost no time in helping themselves to Medwyn’s provisions, or in finding the byre.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
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.
