traipse
Americanverb (used without object)
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traipses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
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
They traipse around Brixton and Peckham, baring their hearts, swapping relationship stories and finding new love within each other along the way.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2023
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
George Cukor’s black-and-white vision traipses its heroines through dress fittings, manicures and facials, day drinking and backstabbing all the way, save for an interruption by a Technicolor fashion show.
From Salon ● Nov. 6, 2025
Before that day, her regular walks included traipses to the Mall and around the Capitol.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 4, 2022
This new docu-series traipses across the globe to shed light on art and history.
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2018
Baritone Clinton Curtis, who traipses between the classical and pop worlds, adds cool, uninflected lyrics.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2018
The exhibit runs through Tuesday at the W. J. Niederkorn Library in Port Washington before it traipses through the state over the next 11 months.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 8, 2016
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
A “Bachelor” wedding has traipsed across our TV screens every couple of years since Jason Mesnick and runner-up Molly Malaney tied the knot in 2010.
From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2024
Bobby Gene handed Styx the third fishing pole and we traipsed into the woods.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
As the first ray of sun hit on an unexpectedly frosty August morning, a few hundred just-graduated Ukrainian paratroopers were traipsing across a corn and rapeseed field, preparing for their first jump.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The kind of bowl you crave after traipsing home through slushy streets with cold fingers.
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 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
"Barry Island?... I am not traipsing the best side of my family all the way down to Wales to see my son, my only son, get married in some dirty fairground," she fumed.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2024
She recognized it by the color and contours of the words traipsing down the spine.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
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.
