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 traversing

Then again, traversing train tracks may be nothing compared to the social risks of moving to Brooklyn.
The Party Monster Lives For the Applause: Michael Alig’s Second Act|Caitlin Dickson|February 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But once there, traversing the arid desert plains and breaking bread with the indigenous peoples, inspiration struck.
Why Is Pauly Shore in Africa?|Rebecca Dana|June 11, 2010|DAILY BEAST
"That is all right," said Brett wearily, traversing a corridor to gain his room.
The Albert Gate Mystery|Louis Tracy
Tommy was traversing the little gun with the trigger pressed down.
The Fifth-Dimension Tube|William Fitzgerald Jenkins

Traversing the passage outside the door, the Count met the Prince of India.
The Prince of India, Volume II|Lew. Wallace
An old hawker was in the habit of traversing the country with his ass, which had served him faithfully for many years.
Stories of Animal Sagacity|W.H.G. Kingston
I could see now that we were at the intersection of a transverse passageway, much broader than the one we had been traversing.
The Girl in the Golden Atom|Raymond King Cummings

British Dictionary definitions for traversing

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 traversing

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

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of traverse

Examples from the Web for traversing

traverse

verb

noun

adjective

adverb

Word Origin for traverse

traverse