traipse
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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
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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
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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 traipse past the principal’s office, scale a short incline, and you’ll be rewarded with an 80-foot-long mural that explodes with color.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
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
Following his shoemaking phase, Cleofes began to traipse around the county carrying a little statue of Santa Inez del Campo, who was supposed to find missing animals.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
For the “Middle of Everything” campaign, the award-winning actor traipses around the Prairie State wearing a jaunty blue beret and a gleeful expression.
From Washington Post ● May 26, 2022
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
This new docu-series traipses across the globe to shed light on art and history.
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2018
Every hour or so, a crew traipses the paths to collect them.
From Washington Times ● May 26, 2018
Baritone Clinton Curtis, who traipses between the classical and pop worlds, adds cool, uninflected lyrics.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 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
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
Survivors traipsed through muck to find drinking water, power, Wi-Fi and cell service.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2024
When we did, we traipsed through the French Quarter holding hands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2024
She glared at the boy as if he’d traipsed onstage during her solo performance.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
The kind of bowl you crave after traipsing home through slushy streets with cold fingers.
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2025
You may find it difficult to summon a ton of empathy for timeshare hawkers, but traipsing through the malaise of modern Vegas, it’s clear that just about everyone in Sarah’s position is struggling.
From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2025
I think, for me, it is less about vanity than a fantasy of gracefully traipsing into my later years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2025
Any trip up into the foothills or canyons and I am immediately brought back to my childhood spent traipsing around the San Gabriel Mountains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2025
“What made them come traipsing over here, I wonder?” he said.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
