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

Like many of America’s regional dishes, the Garden State sandwich feels stubbornly fixed in tradition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Operation Metro Surge belongs to that tradition, but at a more immediate and less familiar level.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

While adamant that the tradition would survive, Keller pointed to a "succession problem", with younger generations unwilling to take over a tough family business.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

Ceremonial visits have been going on for years, and both Democratic and Republican presidents have embraced the tradition with athletes from various sports.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

There was a tradition among the ancients that things were very cheap in Hell.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Some communities have strong cultural traditions dictating who should fill the caretaker role — in many cases, that’s the eldest daughter.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

Now, it’s known for incredible lamb, cheese, wine and fruit inspired by the natural, high-quality, hard-working traditions of generations of Māori.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

Her latest books somehow cut past narrative traditions and portray plot and emotion more directly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Since taking the top job at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has rewritten rules and upended traditions that had for decades steered how the U.S. military buys weapons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

With no traditions of organized political activity behind them and nobody to look to for help since the New Deal, they live in apathy and despair.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

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