tradition

American  

[truh-dish-uhn] / trəˈdɪʃ ən /

noun

• traditions
  plural

1. 

   the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice.

   a story that has come down to us by popular tradition.

2. something that is handed down.

   the traditions of the American South.

   Synonyms:

   usage, convention, habit, practice, custom

3. a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting.

   The rebellious students wanted to break with tradition.

4. a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices.

5. a customary or characteristic method or manner.

   The winner took a victory lap in the usual track tradition.

6. Theology.

   1. (among Jews) body of laws and doctrines, or any one of them, held to have been received from Moses and originally handed down orally from generation to generation.

   2. (among Christians) a body of teachings, or any one of them, held to have been delivered by Christ and His apostles but not originally committed to writing.

   3. (among Muslims) a hadith.

7. Law. an act of handing over something to another, especially in a formal legal manner; delivery; transfer.

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tradition British  

/ trəˈdɪʃən /

noun

1. the handing down from generation to generation of the same customs, beliefs, etc, esp by word of mouth

2. the body of customs, thought, practices, etc, belonging to a particular country, people, family, or institution over a relatively long period

3. a specific custom or practice of long standing

4. Christianity a doctrine or body of doctrines regarded as having been established by Christ or the apostles though not contained in Scripture

5. (often capital) Judaism a body of laws regarded as having been handed down from Moses orally and only committed to writing in the 2nd century _ad

6. the beliefs and customs of Islam supplementing the Koran, esp as embodied in the Sunna

7. law Roman law Scots law the act of formally transferring ownership of movable property; delivery

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• countertradition
  noun
• nontradition
  noun
• traditionist
  noun
• antitradition
  adjective
• protradition
  adjective
• traditionless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• traditions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tradition

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English tradicion, from Old French, from Latin trāditiōn- (stem of trāditiō ) “a handing over or down, transfer,” equivalent to trādit(us), past participle of trādere “to give over, impart, surrender, betray” ( trā-, variant of trāns- trans- + -ditus, combining form of datus “given”; see date ¹) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Traditions are longstanding customs and practices. It might be a family tradition to open Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, started because your parents were too impatient to wait. The noun tradition has Latin roots in the word tradere, which means hand over or hand down. So think of a tradition as something that is handed down from one generation to another. Fireworks on the Fourth of July are a national tradition, and playing your school's fight song at the start of the football game is probably a longstanding tradition designed to get the fans excited for the game.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tradition traditions

I personally think it’s a green flag that he isn’t willing to change a long-standing tradition for someone he met so recently.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

“The Pineapple” is a buzzed-about show among the tight-knit immersive community, one that fits into the medium’s long tradition of productions designed for a sole audience member.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Traditional media is losing influence but still embodies a healthy 100-year tradition of informed skepticism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

This game show tradition was Alex Trebek’s favorite: What is Jeopardy!’s annual Teen Tournament?

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

It brought together the old revolutionary rhetoric, even deploying some familiar Jeffersonian language, with all the oppositional energy of the Whig tradition, then hurled it at assumption as the new incarnation of foreign domination.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

"These arrangements work when we engage as true partners that respect each other's traditions and sovereignty," Carney told attendees at a luxury hotel in central Toronto.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

It is not yet clear when the enthronement will take place, but the committee said it would be conducted in accordance with the traditions and customs of the Tooro kingdom.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

The real attraction here is the sisterly camaraderie, the wacky family traditions like “midnight margaritas,” and the cuddly allure of all things feminine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Even snobbishly independent travelers like us, we concluded, could find inspiration in the traditions, landscapes, camaraderie and hospitality a pilgrimage offers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Some modern Non-Western music traditions, which have a very different approach to melody and harmony, still base their tuning on the perfect fifth.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• belief
• culture
• custom
• ethic
• folklore
• form
• habit
• heritage
• idea
• institution
• law
• legend
• lore
• myth
• mythology
• orthodoxy
• practice
• ritual
• wisdom