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transition

[ tran-zish-uhn, -sish- ]
/ trænˈzɪʃ ən, -ˈsɪʃ- /
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See synonyms for: transition / transitions on Thesaurus.com
noun
movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change: the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
Music.
  1. a passing from one key to another; modulation.
  2. a brief modulation; a modulation used in passing.
  3. a sudden, unprepared modulation.
a passage from one scene to another by sound effects, music, etc., as in a television program, theatrical production, or the like.
verb (used without object)
to make a transition: He had difficulty transitioning from enlisted man to officer.
to change from one gender identity to another or to align one's dress, behavior, etc., with one's gender identity: My friend is transitioning without hormone therapy or surgery.
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Origin of transition

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin trānsitiōn- (stem of trānsitiō ) “a going across, passage,” equivalent to trānsit(us) (past participle of transīre “to go over, cross”; cf. transit) + -iōn- -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM transition

tran·si·tion·al, tran·si·tion·a·ry [tran-zish-uh-ner-ee, -sish-], /trænˈzɪʃ əˌnɛr i, -ˈsɪʃ-/, adjective

Words nearby transition

transit, transitable, transit camp, transit circle, transit instrument, transition, transitional, transition area, transition element, transition point, transition probability
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to transition

changeover, conversion, development, evolution, growth, passage, progress, progression, shift, transformation, upheaval, alteration, flux, metamorphosis, metastasis, passing, transit, transmutation, turn, realignment

How to use transition in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for transition

transition
/ (trænˈzɪʃən) /
noun
change or passage from one state or stage to another
the period of time during which something changes from one state or stage to another
music
  1. a movement from one key to another; modulation
  2. a linking passage between two divisions in a composition; bridge
Also called: transitional a style of architecture that was used in western Europe in the late 11th and early 12th century, characterized by late Romanesque forms combined with early Gothic details
physics
  1. any change that results in a change of physical properties of a substance or system, such as a change of phase or molecular structure
  2. a change in the configuration of an atomic nucleus, involving either a change in energy level resulting from the emission of a gamma-ray photon or a transformation to another element or isotope
a sentence, passage, etc, that connects a topic to one that follows or that links sections of a written work

Derived forms of transition

transitional or rare transitionary, adjectivetransitionally, adverb

Word Origin for transition

C16: from Latin transitio; see transient
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
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