traverse

[ trav-ers, truh-vurs ]

/ ˈtræv ərs, trəˈvɜrs /

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.

Nearby words

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)

SYNONYMS FOR traverse

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR traverse ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
We have a long and very dreary tract to traverse before we reach the Gariep—three hundred miles and more, I should think.
Hair-Breadth Escapes|H.C. Adams
The very cats of the Convent could not traverse its grounds more silently.
Gwen Wynn|Mayne Reid
Horizontally, the head and body traverse an arc of about 100°; vertically, they traverse an arc slightly less than 180°.
Natural History of the Bell Vireo, Vireo bellii Audubon|Jon C. Barlow
In one night they had traveled a distance coming back that required two days and nights to traverse in the other direction.
The Wonder Island Boys: The Mysteries of the Caverns|Roger Thompson Finlay
But they made their escape on the way down to Traverse des Sioux.
Mary and I|Stephen Return Riggs

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 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

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.

traverse

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

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

noun

adjective

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Origin of traverse

Examples from the Web for traverse

traverse

verb

noun

adjective

adverb

Word Origin for traverse

traverse