traverse

[ trav-ers, truh-vurs ]

/ ˈtræv ərs, trəˈvɜrs /

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See synonyms for: traverse / traversed / traversing / traversable on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), trav·ersed, trav·ers·ing.

to pass or move over, along, or through.

to go to and fro over or along.

to extend across or over: A bridge traverses the stream.

to go up, down, or across (a rope, mountain, hill, etc.) at an angle: The climbers traversed the east face of the mountain.

to ski across (a hill or slope).

to cause to move laterally.

to look over, examine, or consider carefully; survey; consider.

to go counter to; obstruct; thwart.

to contradict or deny.

Law.

(in the law of pleading) to deny formally (an allegation of fact set forth in a previous pleading).
to join issue upon.

to turn and point (a gun) in any direction.

verb (used without object), trav·ersed, trav·ers·ing.

to pass along or go across something; cross: a point in the river where we could traverse.

to ski across a hill or slope on a diagonal.

to turn laterally, as a gun.

Fencing. to glide the blade toward the hilt of the contestant's foil while applying pressure to the blade.

noun

the act of passing across, over, or through.

something that crosses, obstructs, or thwarts; obstacle.

a transversal or similar line.

a place where one may traverse or cross; crossing.

Architecture. a transverse gallery or loft of communication in a church or other large building.

a bar, strip, rod, or other structural part placed or extending across; crosspiece; crossbar.

a railing, lattice, or screen serving as a barrier.

Nautical.

the zigzag track of a vessel compelled by contrary winds or currents to sail on different courses.
each of the runs in a single direction made in such sailing.

Fortification.

a defensive barrier, parapet, or the like, placed transversely.
a defensive barrier thrown across the terreplein or the covered way of a fortification to protect it from enfilade fire.

Gunnery. the horizontal turning of a gun so as to make it point in any required direction.

Machinery.

the motion of a lathe tool or grinding wheel along a piece of work.
a part moving along a piece of work in this way, as the carriage of a lathe.

Surveying. a series of intersecting surveyed lines whose lengths and angles of intersection, measured at instrument stations, are recorded graphically on a map and in numerical form in data tables.Compare closed traverse.

Law. a formal denial of some matter of fact alleged by the other side.

adjective

lying, extending, or passing across; transverse.

OTHER WORDS FOR traverse

1 cross.

9 gainsay, dispute, challenge.

See synonyms for traverse on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of traverse

First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English traversen, from Middle French traverser ”to cross,” from Late Latin trānsversāre, derivative of Latin trānsversus (see trans-, versus); (noun) Middle English travers(e), from Middle French traverse (from Latin trānsversa “something lying across,” feminine of trānsversus ) and travers (from Latin trānsversum passage across, neuter of trānsversus )

OTHER WORDS FROM traverse

tra·vers·a·ble, adjectivetra·vers·al, nountra·vers·er, nounnon·tra·vers·a·ble, adjective

re·trav·erse, verb, re·trav·ersed, re·trav·ers·ing.un·tra·vers·a·ble, adjectiveun·trav·ersed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use traverse in a sentence

This walk led us across some of the ski trails, where one of the young men who had been drinking heavily, the best man, in fact, decided to climb a pole supporting the ski lift and then traverse the wire to the next pole, hand over hand.
Why it’s okay for the Internet to “forget” some crimes|Aaron Pressman|January 25, 2021|Fortune
While traversing a snowfield, though, Forrest twisted his knee.
Did Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail Ruin My Body?|Grayson Haver Currin|January 25, 2021|Outside Online
Modernized snowshoes are made of metal and plastic, but the addition of dull crampons on their underside allows you to traverse larger hills.
He escaped the cacophony by strapping on snowshoes and slipping into the Great North Woods|Miles Howard|January 15, 2021|Washington Post
To capture that idea of a winter that is agreeably entrenched, I keep returning to Robert Frost’s poem of a guy traversing a New England woodland on a dark night illuminated by snow.
Climate change has altered the winter season and the gardener’s sense of it|Adrian Higgins|January 6, 2021|Washington Post

Highway 212 traverses the Lamar Valley, where you’ll find some of the park’s finest wildlife watching.
Your Guide to Visiting National Parks in Winter|The Editors|January 4, 2021|Outside Online
Roads, traversable by artillery and excellent for cavalry, ran thence in every direction.
History of Morgan's Cavalry|Basil W. Duke
The northern Quarken is covered with traversable ice every third or fourth year.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2|Various
Most of Toledo is traversable only for pedestrians and donkeys.
Spanish Vistas|George Parsons Lathrop
The Heimliche Acht is a presentment not traversable by the offender.
Anne of Geierstein, Volume I (of 2)|Sir Walter Scott
Traversable, traversing and traversed have also the accent on the first syllable.
Every-Day Errors of Speech|L. P. Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for traverse

traverse

/ (ˈtrævɜːs, trəˈvɜːs) /

verb

to pass or go over or back and forth over (something); cross

(tr) to go against; oppose; obstruct

to move or cause to move sideways or crosswise

(tr) to extend or reach across

to turn (an artillery gun) laterally on its pivot or mount or (of an artillery gun) to turn laterally

(tr) to look over or examine carefully

(tr) law to deny (an allegation of fact), as in pleading

(intr) fencing to slide one's blade towards an opponent's hilt while applying pressure against his blade

mountaineering to move across (a face) horizontally

(tr) nautical to brace (a yard) fore and aft

noun

something being or lying across, such as a transom

a gallery or loft inside a building that crosses it

maths another name for transversal (def. 1)

an obstruction or hindrance

fortifications a protective bank or other barrier across a trench or rampart

a railing, screen, or curtain

the act or an instance of traversing or crossing

a path or road across

nautical the zigzag course of a vessel tacking frequently

law the formal denial of a fact alleged in the opposite party's pleading

surveying a survey consisting of a series of straight lines, the length of each and the angle between them being measured

mountaineering a horizontal move across a face

adjective

being or lying across; transverse

adverb

an archaic word for across

Derived forms of traverse

traversable, adjectivetraversal, nountraverser, noun

Word Origin for traverse

C14: from Old French traverser, from Late Latin trānsversāre, from Latin trānsversus transverse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

traverse

OTHER WORDS FOR traverse

Origin of traverse

OTHER WORDS FROM traverse

Words related to traverse

How to use traverse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for traverse

Derived forms of traverse

Word Origin for traverse