in transit

American

[in tran-zit, -sit] / ˌɪn ˈtræn zɪt, -sɪt /

idiom

on the way to a destination; in the process of traveling or being shipped from one place to another.

She’s still in transit, as her flight was delayed.
If your package has been damaged in transit, please contact us immediately.

Etymology

Origin of in transit

First recorded in 1780–90

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:

in transit

He’ll study civil engineering and wait until grad school to specialize in transit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

The 26-year-old was arrested on 15 August this year while in transit at the airport and was charged on Tuesday.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

The delicate tapestry will be transported from its usual home in northern France, but the precise arrangements are being kept secret as heritage experts and artists have fretted that it could be damaged in transit.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

But give it a little time in transit, whether that’s a 20-minute walk to the park or a two-hour drive to the lake, and something lovely happens.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026

Caught in transit between two organisms, a gene exists momentarily as a pure chemical.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023