traveler

American  

[trav-uh-ler, trav-ler] / ˈtræv ə lər, ˈtræv lər /

especially British, traveller

noun

1. a person or thing that travels.

2. a person who travels or has traveled in distant places or foreign lands.

3. traveling salesman.

4. part of a mechanism constructed to move in a fixed course.

5. Textiles. (in ring spinning) a small metal device that moves rapidly around the ring and guides the yarn onto the revolving bobbin.

6. Nautical.

   1. a metal ring or thimble fitted to move freely on a rope, spar, or rod.

   2. Also called horse.  the rope, spar, or rod itself.

7. Theater. Also traveler curtain. a transverse curtain opened by being drawn from both sides of the proscenium.

8. (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

• nontraveler noun

Etymology

Origin of traveler

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English travaillour; travel, -er ¹

Example Sentences

One traveler rushed toward the exit, telling their companion they’d given up.

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2026

This was seen on Monday when the Chicago Tribune spoke to a traveler at O’Hare International Airport about ICE.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

A retired engineer who traveled frequently for work, Newbauer considers himself an experienced traveler.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026

“It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over” centers on a wayward traveler in a post-apocalyptic, decaying landscape.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

Or, a quaint expression you sometimes hear, still, from older people: I hear where you're coming from, as if the voice itself were a traveler, arriving from a distant place.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• adventurer
• commuter
• hiker
• migrant
• passenger
• pilgrim
• sailor
• tourist