traipse
Americanverb (used without object)
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traipses,
present (3rd person singular)
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traipsed,
past participle, past
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traipsing
present participle
verb (used with object)
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traipses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
traipsed,
past participle, past
-
traipsing
present participle
noun
verb
noun
Usage
Where does the word traipse come from? Traipse generally means "to wander aimlessly or idly while never reaching one's goal," as in Last night, they traipsed all over town trying to find a store that was still open. Well, you'll certainly wander aimlessly if you try to find the origin of the word traipse. The word is first recorded around 1585–95. It could be related to the verb tramp, and one can definitely traipse, or "walk over," something, such as fields or flowers. An alternative theory connects traipse to trespass, which originates from French. Traipse isn’t alone: it finds lots of company in other English words that seem simple but whose origins are not. Discover more in our slideshow “‘Dog,’ ‘Boy,’ And Other Words That We Don’t Know Where They Came From."
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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traipsesimple
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traipsessimple
-
have traipsedperfect
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has traipsedperfect
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am traipsingprogressive
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are traipsingprogressive
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is traipsingprogressive
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have been traipsingperfect progressive
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has been traipsingperfect progressive
Past
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traipsedsimple
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had traipsedperfect
-
was traipsingprogressive
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were traipsingprogressive
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had been traipsingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of traipse
First recorded in 1585–95; earlier trapse, unexplained variant of trape, of disputed origin; perhaps obscurely akin to tramp
Explanation
To traipse is to walk around with a sloppy or aimless attitude. A bored high school student might traipse through a museum on a class trip, for example. When you traipse, you trudge in an exhausted or reluctant way. Picture several kids dutifully following their dad along a hiking path or walking a mile to school, and you'll have a good idea of what traipse means. We've used the word since the 16th century, but its origin isn't certain. Some scholars think traipse comes from the French trepasser, "to pass over," while others believe it started as an example of onomatopoeia, a word that sounds like what it means.
Vocabulary lists containing traipse
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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Our Town
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Before We Were Free
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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:
But I still had to traipse to the group bathrooms and showers and couldn’t eat or drink there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
“I had to come downstairs late at night in my pajamas to a kitchen filled with six people and traipse through them,” Glusac, a writer, said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 22, 2025
A traipse to London is no longer a necessity.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2024
Look for the whole crew to traipse up there over the next few weeks.
From Salon ● May 10, 2024
I can see it in her eyes as we traipse down the street.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
The film tackles the immigrant experience but also traipses into moments from the director’s personal history, Mexican history and dreamlike combinations of the two.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2023
Social media, along with all the other forms of mass communication we perpetually have at our fingertips, makes it not just easy to express every insight that traipses through our minds, but almost obligatory.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2022
Before that day, her regular walks included traipses to the Mall and around the Capitol.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 4, 2022
Every hour or so, a crew traipses the paths to collect them.
From Washington Times ● May 26, 2018
Like “An Unfinished Piece,” “Country Life” traipses between tragedy and farce.
From New York Times ● May 4, 2018
In search of someone to teach him the art, Francis traipsed around Los Angeles looking for an internship.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025
After all, that is exactly what Mamdani was doing as he traipsed from Throwing Fits to Derek Thompson to Charlamagne tha God.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2025
In 2021, he traipsed for five months and 2,000 miles between London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Dublin and Belfast; before climbing Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike.
From BBC ● May 30, 2025
Within hours of the mid-morning ribbon cutting, dozens of children traipsed through the play areas, seniors were deep into a bingo game and families lined up for a Little League baseball ceremony.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2025
They murmured words he did not catch; he felt gentle pats upon his back, and then they all traipsed back toward the cottage, leaving Harry alone beside the elf.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Through the crack under the closet door, she said, she saw feet traipsing through the bedroom and heard men whispering in a foreign language.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
So in order to fly the tricolore in Milan, they would have had to give up their multimillion NHL salaries and spend a couple seasons traipsing around the Alps for virtually nothing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
The kind of bowl you crave after traipsing home through slushy streets with cold fingers.
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2025
Usher and NFL insider Adam Schefter traipsing around Capitol Hill and making a visit to the White House.
From Slate ● Mar. 3, 2025
Instead he had gone traipsing through the night.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
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.
