transportation
Americannoun
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the act of transporting.
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the state of being transported.
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the means of transport or conveyance.
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the business of conveying people, goods, etc.
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price of travel or transport by public conveyance; fare.
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tickets or permits for transport or travel.
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banishment, as of a criminal to a penal colony; deportation.
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Also called Transportation Department. (initial capital letter) the Department of Transportation.
noun
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a means or system of transporting
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the act of transporting or the state of being transported
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(esp formerly) deportation to a penal colony
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a ticket or fare
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of transportation
Explanation
If you spend $60 a month on subway fare, then your monthly transportation cost is $60, meaning it costs you $60 each month to get from one place to another. The noun transportation often is used to describe the process of moving things. You might make transportation arrangements, for example, for shipping a pet across the country. Transportation can also refer to a formal system for moving things from place to place, like a public transportation system like the subway or public bus or a transportation company that specializes in moving goods from coast to coast.
Vocabulary lists containing transportation
The United States
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Africa - Introductory
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Canada - Introductory
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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.
“This is the hottest that the transportation market has been in over four years,” the report said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
His transportation and health secretaries have flown to Mindanao from the capital Manila to oversee the response.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
The incident occurred at one of the nation's busiest rail and subway transportation centers as the city prepares for two huge sporting spectacles in the coming week: basketball's NBA Finals and football's World Cup tournament.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
Concentrating more games in Mexico would have required building new stadiums and upgrading airports, hotels and transportation in cities that weren’t ready.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
She would have to avoid publicars or any other mode of transportation that would pinpoint her location, but she found the closer she got, the more her resolve hardened.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
