transport

American  

[trans-pawrt, -pohrt, trans-pawrt, -pohrt] / trænsˈpɔrt, -ˈpoʊrt, ˈtræns pɔrt, -poʊrt /

verb (used with object)

1. to carry, move, or convey from one place to another.

2. to carry away by strong emotion; enrapture.

3. to send into banishment, especially to a penal colony.

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noun

1. the act of transporting or conveying; conveyance.

2. a means of transporting or conveying, as a truck or bus.

3. a ship or plane employed for transporting soldiers, military stores, etc.

4. an airplane carrying freight or passengers as part of a transportation system.

5. a system of public travel.

6. transportation.

7. strong emotion; ecstatic joy, bliss, etc.

   Synonyms:

   happiness, rapture

8. a convict sent into banishment, especially to a penal colony.

   The country had been colonized largely by transports.

9. Also called tape transport.  Recording. a mechanism that moves magnetic tape past the head in a tape deck or tape recorder.

transport British  

verb

1. to carry or cause to go from one place to another, esp over some distance

2. to deport or exile to a penal colony

3. (usually passive) to have a strong emotional effect on

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noun

1. 1. the business or system of transporting goods or people

   2. ( as modifier )

      a modernized transport system

2. freight vehicles generally

3. 1. a vehicle used to transport goods or people, esp lorries or ships used to convey troops

   2. ( as modifier )

      a transport plane

4. the act of transporting or the state of being transported

5. ecstasy, rapture, or any powerful emotion

6. a convict sentenced to be transported

Related Words

See carry. See ecstasy.

Other Word Forms

• countertransport noun
• nontransportability noun
• nontransportable adjective
• pretransport verb (used with object)
• transportability noun
• transportable adjective
• transporter noun
• transportive adjective
• untransportable adjective

Etymology

Origin of transport

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English transporten (verb), from Latin trānsportāre “to carry across”; equivalent to trans- + port ⁵

Explanation

Transport means to move something, often large quantities of commercial products, over great distances. Container ships transport goods made in China to the U.S., where they will be sold. A pipeline can transport oil. A school bus transports children. Soldiers get their postings but then must wait for news of their transport. If you are in a hurry to get something to market, you might consider using air transport, though that's expensive. Transport is from Latin words meaning "carry across."

Example Sentences

Mastering refrigerated transport and storage decoupled society from its local geography, allowing the cattle ranges of the American West to feed the East Coast via insulated, ice-cooled railcars.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

They then compared these real-world observations with results from a transport model that incorporated three different published emission estimates.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2026

Prosecutors charged Thola-Duran with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, to receive and transport stolen property interstate, and to commit money laundering, and structuring transactions to avoid federal financial reporting requirements.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

It is the cheapest relative to any other method of transport.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

“Unfortunately, Leo is correct. I don’t see how I can transport something so large. I was assuming—well, I was hoping you all would have an answer.”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• bring
• carry
• ferry
• haul
• lug
• pack
• remove
• ride
• ship
• take