traveler
Americannoun
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travelers
plural
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a person or thing that travels.
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a person who travels or has traveled in distant places or foreign lands.
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part of a mechanism constructed to move in a fixed course.
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Textiles. (in ring spinning) a small metal device that moves rapidly around the ring and guides the yarn onto the revolving bobbin.
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Nautical.
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a metal ring or thimble fitted to move freely on a rope, spar, or rod.
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Also called horse. the rope, spar, or rod itself.
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Theater. Also traveler curtain. a transverse curtain opened by being drawn from both sides of the proscenium.
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(often initial capital letter) a member of any of a number of traditionally itinerant peoples of the British Isles and other English-speaking areas, including, in addition to people of Romani origin, Indigenous groups such as the speakers of Shelta.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of traveler
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English travaillour; see travel, -er 1
Explanation
If you take frequent trips across the country or around the world, you are a traveler. Take a plane to Mexico, and all the other passengers are travelers, just like you. Some people travel often, for work or fun, and they are travelers. Even if you're leaving your hometown for the very first time, you're considered a traveler while you are traveling. The trick to this word is that it sounds like it should have two Ls (and in Canada and the U.K., it's spelled traveller), but in the U.S. there's only one.
Vocabulary lists containing traveler
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.
See Examples For:
Really think about what you would want and put yourself in the shoes of the traveler.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
“The luxury traveler is absolutely resilient,” said Jeff Toscano, chief executive of Aspen Hospitality, a division of Aspen One.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
“The affluent traveler can afford to travel to the E.U., but larger groups and families are gravitating domestically to manage expenses,” Entwistle told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
Midtown Global Market and Powderhorn Park — If you’re the kind of traveler who struggles to choose just one place to eat, Midtown Global Market is your answer.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
Thomas More claimed to have based Utopia on the report of a knowledgeable traveler, and Chaucer’s work is full of references to “myn auctoritee” or “myn auctour.”
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
In the latest quarter, year-over-year growth in nights booked accelerated in Airbnb’s new markets as well as its largest core markets, including a ramp up from travelers from the U.S.,
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
If you’re in the never-basic-economy camp, share this with the infrequent fliers or budget travelers in your life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
When travelers arrive at the luxury terminal on the southern flank of LAX, they can valet their car and even get it washed while they’re away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Prices for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel are rising even as crude oil costs ease, a rare divergence that’s swelling costs for peak-season travelers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
They mostly stamped the passports of travelers on their way to Kashgar and Samarkand in the West, and the city of Turfan in the East.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
