traverse
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 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.
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.
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.
lying, extending, or passing across; transverse.
Origin of traverse
1Other words for traverse
Other words from traverse
- tra·vers·a·ble, adjective
- tra·vers·al, noun
- tra·vers·er, noun
- non·tra·vers·a·ble, adjective
- re·trav·erse, verb, re·trav·ersed, re·trav·ers·ing.
- un·tra·vers·a·ble, adjective
- un·trav·ersed, adjective
Words Nearby traverse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use traverse in a sentence
As the hurts are revealed, they offer unexpected insights that traverse generations.
He knew his grandfather was a mob boss. But was that the whole story? | Joe Heim | February 12, 2021 | Washington PostYesterday, that space was traversed by a rioter carrying a Confederate flag.
As Ellie Mae’s numbers show, the convergence of the lockdown and bargain home loans is luring customers to traverse far more of the passage online.
First he took energy trading and the NYSE electronic. Now Jeff Sprecher of ICE shares his plans to digitize your mortgage | Shawn Tully | September 2, 2020 | FortuneBig city races are off the cards for 2020, which helps explain the explosion in runners trying to clock the fastest known time traversing everything from the Appalachian Trail to the road through Central Park.
More than 800 years ago, Indigenous people in South America traversed more than 7,000 kilometers of open sea to reach eastern Polynesia, a new study suggests.
South Americans may have traveled to Polynesia 800 years ago | Bruce Bower | July 8, 2020 | Science News
He was known to traverse Brooklyn to visit somebody a decade older than himself in a nursing home.
How Brooklyn’s First Ice Cream Girl Fought City Hall–and Won | Michael Daly | October 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe heat makes beads of sweat run down your armpits and traverse your hips before dampening your drawers.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq | Nathan Bradley Bethea | August 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTExtend your Fourth of July vacation with a trip to traverse City, also known as the “cherry capital of the world.”
Elizabeth Banks stars as a woman who has to traverse a city after losing her wallet post-one-night stand.
Why We Need to Stop Using the Phrase ‘Walk of Shame’ | Amanda Marcotte | May 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMaps are enormous, and players have to traverse huge amounts of terrain.
‘Killzone: Shadow Fall’ Review: Oh My God, This PlayStation 4 Game Is Beautiful | Alec Kubas-Meyer | November 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe streets, as I have already mentioned, are tolerably lively: peculiar omnibuses and cabriolets traverse them frequently.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida PfeifferThe onward path would then lead through a void which it would require years to traverse.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerCakes of dates pounded and kneaded together are the food of the Arabs who traverse the deserts.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge | VariousBreaking camp, we encountered rich bottom-lands, difficult to traverse because of the rain.
A Virginia Scout | Hugh PendexterFor greater secrecy of movement, we divided into small parties, aiming to traverse different roads.
British Dictionary definitions for traverse
/ (ˈtrævɜːs, trəˈvɜːs) /
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
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
being or lying across; transverse
an archaic word for across
Origin of traverse
1Derived forms of traverse
- traversable, adjective
- traversal, noun
- traverser, noun
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
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