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• 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

  transgender.
• 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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trans. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. transaction

2. transferred

3. transitive

4. translated

5. translator

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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

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Sensitivity

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

Noun Inflected Forms

• trans
  plural
• transes
  plural

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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”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trans* trans trans- trans.

"To all trans girls participating in school sports in Washington, we want you to know that you belong: on the field, on the court, on the team," the advocate continued.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

“He’s been very vocal in support of trans people, and he can’t escape that record because he’s been in the state legislature,” she said.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026

He was also working with the NHS locally on setting up a Trans Health hub and with a Brighton trans support charity called The Clare Project.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

The decision is a rare win for trans rights at the Supreme Court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

I have no idea who he is, but I don’t have to worry because everyone here is queer or trans.

From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez

"To all trans girls participating in school sports in Washington, we want you to know that you belong: on the field, on the court, on the team," the advocate continued.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

“Answering the way she did only solidifies that we’re leaving trans people behind, because she’s using the same rhetoric. It makes it feel like trans people are being thrown away,” he said.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026

He was also working with the NHS locally on setting up a Trans Health hub and with a Brighton trans support charity called The Clare Project.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

The decision is a rare win for trans rights at the Supreme Court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

In the Before, I never ate McDonald’s because there were a million fancy burger places in the city and Mom avoided trans fats.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

During this hydrogenation process, double bonds of the cis- conformation in the hydrocarbon chain may be converted to double bonds in the trans- conformation.

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

She said the talks centered on certification for the long-haul, trans- oceanic flights for which the company has marketed the jet.

From BusinessWeek ● Dec. 23, 2010

It came to me, then, that in all this view there was something trans- alpine with a greater smartness and freshness and much less elegance and languor.

From A Little Tour in France by Henry James

“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham said in the article.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

“But it would be years before I came out as gay, years before I came out as trans. Narratives have been my way of exploring those identities, even as allegory.”

From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2023

What is your rebuttal to someone who says, "I'm not gay or queer or trans. I have nothing against them, but I don't really care either way about their issues."

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2022

“There is nothing wrong or dirty about being trans. It’s just a part of us that we live with.”

From Washington Post ● Sep. 23, 2022

English.—Amarakosha, trans. by Colebrooke, Serampore, 1808, 4to; 1845, 8vo: Rousseau, London, 1812, 4to: Wilson, Calcutta, 1819, 4to; 2nd ed.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 4 "Diameter" to "Dinarchus" by Various

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