traverse

[trav-ers, truh-vurs]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR traverse 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; review; survey.

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.

Origin of traverse

1250–1300; (v.) Middle English traversen < Middle French traverser to cross < Late Latin trānsversāre, derivative of Latin trānsversus (see trans-, versus); (noun) Middle English travers(e) < Middle French traverse (< Latin trānsversa something lying across, feminine of trānsversus) and travers (< Latin trānsversum passage across, neuter of trānsversus)

Related formstra·vers·a·ble, adjectivetra·vers·al, nountra·vers·er, nounnon·tra·vers·a·ble, adjectivere·trav·erse, verb, re·trav·ersed, re·trav·ers·ing.un·tra·vers·a·ble, adjectiveun·trav·ersed, adjective

Synonyms for traverse

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR traverse ON THESAURUS.COM

1. cross. 9. gainsay, dispute, challenge.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for traverse

span, tread, crisscross, cross, ply, bisect, roam, bridge, peregrinate, do, track, decussate, perambulate, cover, negotiate, walk, pace, range, intersect, quarter

Examples from the Web for traverse

Contemporary Examples of traverse

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 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
Extend your Fourth of July vacation with a trip to Traverse City, also known as the “cherry capital of the world.”
America’s Best Summer Food Festivals
Lonely Planet
July 5, 2014
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
Maps 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

Historical Examples of traverse

It is in your power to make their bed of down, and to enliven the ground they have yet to traverse with flowers.
Imogen
William Godwin
They believed the range might yet show a rift at this end which their wagons could traverse.
When the West Was Young
Frederick R. Bechdolt
The blows of the sea seemed to traverse it in an unringing, stunning shock, from side to side.
Typhoon
Joseph Conrad
"I was just telling Miss Day that she was much better, sir," said Traverse.
Hidden Hand
Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth
"Be sure to persuade your mother to come, Traverse," said Clara.
Hidden Hand
Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth

British Dictionary definitions for traverse

traverse

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 Formstraversable, 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

Word Origin and History for traverse

early 14c., "pass across, over, or through," from Old French traverser "to cross, thwart" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *traversare, from Latin transversare "to cross, throw across," from Latin transversus "turn across" (see transverse). The noun meaning "act of passing through a gate, crossing a bridge, etc." is recorded from mid-14c.; meaning "a passage by which one may traverse" is recorded from 1670s. Military foritifcation sense of "barrier, barricade" is recorded from 1590s. Related: Traversed; traversing.