Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump To:
  • trans*
    trans*
    adjective
    of or relating to people with gender expressions outside traditional norms, as transgender, genderqueer, agender, or nonbinary: campus groups that welcome trans* students.
  • trans
    trans
    adjective
  • trans-
    trans-
    a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin (transcend; transfix ); on this model, used with the meanings “across,” “beyond,” “through,” “changing thoroughly,” “transverse,” in combination with elements of any origin: transisthmian; trans-Siberian; transempirical; transvalue.
  • trans.
    trans.
    abbreviation
    transaction.

trans*

1 American  
[trans, tranz, trans stahr, trans as-ter-isk, tranz as‐] / træns, trænz, ˈtræns ˈstɑr, ˈtræns ˈæs tər ɪsk, ˈtrænz ˈæs‐ /

adjective

  1. of or relating to people with gender expressions outside traditional norms, as transgender, genderqueer, agender, or nonbinary: campus groups that welcome trans* students.

    important trans* issues;

    campus groups that welcome trans* students.


noun

  1. Usually Offensive. a person with a gender identity outside traditional gender norms.

trans 2 American  
[trans, tranz] / træns, trænz /

adjective

  1. transgender.

    Their son is trans.

    Laura is a trans woman.

  2. (no longer in common use) transsexual.


noun

transes, plural trans plural
  1. Usually Offensive. a person who is transgender.

trans- 3 American  
  1. a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin (transcend; transfix ); on this model, used with the meanings “across,” “beyond,” “through,” “changing thoroughly,” “transverse,” in combination with elements of any origin: transisthmian; trans-Siberian; transempirical; transvalue.

  2. Chemistry. a prefix denoting a geometric isomer having a pair of identical atoms or groups on the opposite sides of two atoms linked by a double bond.

  3. Astronomy. a prefix denoting something farther from the sun (than a given planet): trans-Martian; trans-Neptunian.

  4. a prefix meaning “on the other side of,” referring to the misalignment of one’s gender identity with one's sex assigned at birth: transgender.


trans. 4 American  

abbreviation

  1. transaction.

  2. transfer.

  3. transferred.

  4. transformer.

  5. transit.

  6. transitive.

  7. translated.

  8. translation.

  9. translator.

  10. transparent.

  11. transportation.

  12. transpose.

  13. transverse.


trans. 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. transaction

  2. transferred

  3. transitive

  4. translated

  5. translator

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

trans- 2 British  

prefix

  1. across, beyond, crossing, on the other side

    transoceanic

    trans-Siberian

    transatlantic

  2. changing thoroughly

    transliterate

  3. transcending

    transubstantiation

  4. transversely

    transect

  5. (often in italics) indicating that a chemical compound has a molecular structure in which two groups or atoms are on opposite sides of a double bond Compare cis-

    trans-butadiene

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Sensitive Note

See trans, transgender.

The terms transgender and trans are generally accepted as interchangeable. However, some people prefer the shortened adjective trans to avoid any reference to assigned sex or binary gender in this inclusive identity label. Many transgender people prefer writing trans compounds as two words, as in trans man, trans woman, and trans person. When so written as an open compound with a space, trans functions as an adjective modifying a noun such as man. Spelling these words as closed or hyphenated compounds, as in transmale and trans-people, loses the distinction between trans as a descriptive adjective and man, woman, or person as a human being. Similarly, cis male and cis female are the preferred spelling of these terms. See also transgender.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of trans*1

First recorded in 2000–05; by shortening of transgender ( def. )

Origin of trans2

First recorded in 1970–75; by shortening

Origin of trans-3

From Latin, combining form of trāns (adverb and preposition) “across, beyond, through”

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.

During this hydrogenation process, double bonds in the cis- conformation in the hydrocarbon chain may be converted to double bonds in the trans- conformation; unfortunately, trans fats have been shown to contribute to heart disease.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The prefix trans- still implies movement, change, transition, which is a valid component of identity for many transgender individuals.

From Slate • May 14, 2018

We ultimately got Charlie’s case trans- ferred to juvenile court, where the shooting was adjudicated as a juve- nile offense.

From MSNBC • Oct. 22, 2014

“These planes offer performance improvement of 500 miles of range -- important for us because we do a lot of trans- continental routes,” Cush said.

From BusinessWeek • Jan. 17, 2011

The other joint-stock banks of London trans- act their business in all respects in the same manner as the Bank of England.

From Everybody's Guide to Money Matters: with a description of the various investments chiefly dealt in on the stock exchange, and the mode of dealing therein by Cotton, William

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "trans*" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com