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 at Tom Bradley International Terminal, Gate 155 on British Airways flight 281 on July 3.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
“The luxury traveler is absolutely resilient,” said Jeff Toscano, chief executive of Aspen Hospitality, a division of Aspen One.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
After his return he became famous throughout Europe as a traveler, scientist and the author of “A Voyage Round the World,” his 1777 account of the journey and the island cultures encountered along the way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
“The affluent traveler can afford to travel to the E.U., but larger groups and families are gravitating domestically to manage expenses,” Entwistle told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
He was like a traveler in an enchanted wood.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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
Los Angeles-based Alo, one of Lululemon’s chief rivals in the West, has gained buzz on the Chinese internet as some travelers purchased its apparel abroad to impress friends back home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 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
More travelers now bypass in-flight entertainment systems for their own screens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
On top of his dash was a plastic statue of Saint Christopher, patron saint of travelers.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
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.
