pilgrimage
Americannoun
-
a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion.
a pilgrimage to Lourdes.
-
Islam.
-
any long journey, especially one undertaken as a quest or for a votive purpose, as to pay homage.
a pilgrimage to the grave of Shakespeare.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a journey to a shrine or other sacred place
-
a journey or long search made for exalted or sentimental reasons
verb
Related Words
See trip 1.
Etymology
Origin of pilgrimage
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English pilegrimage ( pilgrim, -age ); replacing earlier pelrimage, alteration of Old French pelerinage
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.
It’s almost time to make the annual pilgrimage to the desert for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Dame Sarah Mullally is expected to arrive in Canterbury, Kent, on Sunday, at the end of a six-day walking pilgrimage from London.
From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026
Perched on the edge of the rugged Yorkshire moors that inspired Emily Bronte to write her masterpiece "Wuthering Heights", the quaint village of Haworth has long been a place of literary pilgrimage.
From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026
In 2017, Mr. Mian writes, Mr. Putin “commissioned a statue of Ivan the Terrible in central Moscow. It immediately became a pilgrimage destination.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026
Like everyone else, I’d felt obligated to make a pilgrimage there, to visit Castle Anorak.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
