transition

American  

[tran-zish-uhn, -sish-] / trænˈzɪʃ ən, -ˈsɪʃ- /

noun

• transitions
  plural

1. 

   movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change.

   The transition from adolescence to adulthood can be difficult.

   Synonyms:

   conversion, passing, changeover

2. Music.

   1. a passing from one key to another; modulation.

   2. a brief modulation; a modulation used in passing.

   3. a sudden, unprepared modulation.

3. a passage from one scene to another by sound effects, music, etc., as in a television program, theatrical production, or the like.

4. Also called gender transition. the process by which a transgender person comes to openly express their gender identity, including changes to their way of dressing, acting, or speaking, to their pronouns, name, or legal gender marker, or to their physical characteristics via hormone therapy and surgery.

   When I began my transition, there was very little information online about testosterone.

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verb (used without object)

1. to make a transition.

   He had difficulty transitioning from enlisted man to officer.

2. (of a transgender person) to move toward openly expressing one's gender identity, often by making changes to one's way of dressing, acting, or speaking, to one's pronouns, name, or legal gender marker, or to one's physical characteristics via hormone therapy and surgery.

   My friend is transitioning socially, but she doesn't want hormone therapy or surgery.

transition British  

/ trænˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. change or passage from one state or stage to another

2. the period of time during which something changes from one state or stage to another

3. music

   1. a movement from one key to another; modulation

   2. a linking passage between two divisions in a composition; bridge

4. 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

5. 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

6. a sentence, passage, etc, that connects a topic to one that follows or that links sections of a written work

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• transitional
  adjective
• transitionary
  adjective
• transitionally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• transitions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of transition

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin trānsitiōn-, stem of trānsitiō “passage, transit across,” from trānsit(us) “gone across” (past participle of trānsīre “to go across, pass over”; cf. transit ) + -iō -ion

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Explanation

A transition is a change from one thing to the next, either in action or state of being—as in a job transition or as in the much more dramatic example of a caterpillar making a transition into a butterfly. Transition is awfully reassuring in its tidy reliance on regular forms. Trans means "cross," so when you hear it at the beginning of a word you know that it indicates crossing, as in transatlantic or translate. An odd thing happening with transition lately is that it is transitioning from its familiar form as a noun to a newer life as a verb, as in “We’re going to transition Gloria to that new job.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transition transitions

As co-chief investment officer, she supervised the transition of Bridgewater research into trading strategies, among other things.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

The new phase of the inquiry will also look at how schools can ensure the transition from primary to secondary school builds strong foundations.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

The transition from laboratory research to clinical testing is moving relatively quickly, reflecting the encouraging findings from the animal experiments.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2026

“A company with stronger financial backing may have more room to provide extended salary coverage, healthcare benefits, and career transition support.”

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

I, too, was in the midst of a transition.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Rather than being driven by a mass extinction, some evolutionary transitions may involve periods of extraordinary diversity, when declining lineages and emerging groups coexist.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2026

Additional fossil discoveries, more accurate estimates of fossil ages, and comparisons with geological formations in other parts of the world will help determine whether similar transitions occurred elsewhere in Earth's history.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2026

A compact defensive shape, disciplined pressing and quick transitions could force Barcelona away from their preferred rhythm.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

I have come to realize that many of these practices share features traditionally associated with ritual: symbolic action, repetition and the marking of transitions often involving uncertainty, vulnerability or death.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

The video then transitions to a montage of scenes with Grandma coming over to feed Grandpa, taking away his salty nuts or candy, bringing him his medicine and vitamins, laughing at him, nagging him.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

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Related Words

• changeover
• conversion
• development
• evolution
• growth
• passage
• progress
• progression
• shift
• transformation
• upheaval

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