trek
Americanverb (used without object)
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treks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trekked,
past participle, past
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trekking
present participle
-
to travel or migrate slowly or with difficulty, often through rough or unsettled territory.
He managed to escape from a Siberian labor camp and trekked to Iran, a three-year journey.
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to hike long distances as a recreational activity, especially over rough terrain.
He's trekked through the Himalayas and summited Mt. Kilimanjaro.
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to make a short but difficult trip on foot.
We trekked back to our hotel in the pouring rain.
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South Africa. to travel by ox wagon.
verb (used with object)
-
treks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trekked,
past participle, past
-
trekking
present participle
noun
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treks
plural
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a slow or difficult journey, hike, or trip.
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South Africa.
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a migration or expedition, especially by ox wagon.
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a stage of such a journey, between one stopping place and the next.
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noun
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a long and often difficult journey
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a journey or stage of a journey, esp a migration by ox wagon
verb
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(intr) to make a trek
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(tr) (of an ox, etc) to draw (a load)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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treksimple
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trekssimple
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have trekkedperfect
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has trekkedperfect
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am trekkingprogressive
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are trekkingprogressive
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is trekkingprogressive
-
have been trekkingperfect progressive
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has been trekkingperfect progressive
Past
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trekkedsimple
-
had trekkedperfect
-
was trekkingprogressive
-
were trekkingprogressive
-
had been trekkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of trek
First recorded in 1845–50; from Afrikaans and Dutch noun trek “a tug, pull, march”; verb from Afrikaans trek “to draw, pull, migrate,” from Dutch trekken
Explanation
Want to go on a trek through the mountains? Make sure you have good shoes, drinking water, and snacks. A trek is a long and difficult journey. The word trek implies an extended trip that is hard — a climb up a mountain or a journey through dense forests. In Star Trek, the crew of the Enterprise is on a journey through space that will last a long time. You wouldn't say that you took a trek to the corner grocery unless you had to fight through three feet of snow to get there.
Vocabulary lists containing trek
President Obama's Farewell Address
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Stargirl
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It would hardly be a surprise to find that Brazilians want to join the trek.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
McColgan, a four times Olympian and Ferguson, known for his kilted trek across the US to Scotland's World Cup opening match this year, will start the proceedings on with elite wheelchair competitors first to go.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Another trek organiser Fishtail says it has lost contact with a group of 20 pilgrims, mostly Malaysians, who were travelling with guides and drivers.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
But in California, it’s a trek from one spot to another, so Holly spends time with her children at her ex’s home.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
“Estraven would be a good man to pull with, on a crazy trek like that. He was tough as iron. And never lost his temper. I’m sorry he’s dead.”
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
The treks flourished throughout the Middle Ages, faded, then rebounded from a niche spiritual journey to a global escape hatch; in 2025, the pilgrim office handed out 530,000 certificates of completion, or compostelas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Fast-forward to now: Such treks have taken on an “Eat, Pray, Love” aura.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026
This mission is a test flight designed to inform future treks, such as Artemis IV, a moon landing currently slated for 2028.
From Salon ● Apr. 7, 2026
They bought a house in El Valle de Anton, a beautiful town known for exotic wildlife, breathtaking treks, and fresh mountain air.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
They made crisp, mesmerized treks from base to base where the men perfected the martial arts and where families settled into counterfeit security for a year or two.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
In 30C heat, I am finding it hard to keep up, with Karl showing no sign of fatigue, despite having trekked 10 miles before lunch.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Pilgrimages inspire some people, we knew from acquaintances who had trekked routes such as the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
But the whole experience has made me wary enough that now, whether I’ve trekked through nature or the concrete jungle, a quick tick check is a part of my nighttime routine.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
Michele described carrying a binder with hundreds of pages of medical records and creating spreadsheets to track symptoms as they trekked from hospital to hospital, doctor to doctor, to get treatment for Aidan.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
Another biologist trekked through the rocks to the shark’s head.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
A representative of the local trekking authority, the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, said some 700 trekkers were still waiting in Pokhara to embark on the Annapurna Circuit.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The UN may also turn to Nepal's porters, accustomed to carrying heavy loads through some of the world's toughest mountain terrain during trekking and climbing expeditions.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
Then, on the morning of 25 August, the group left Kathmandu by bus for Syabrubesi, a small mountain settlement roughly 122km north of Kathmandu and a gateway to the trekking hub of Langtang region.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
When she moved to rural Alaska to work in a clinic, Higdon bought a few yaks in the town of North Pole and started a trekking business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
After trekking through the night, Mutti must have been as exhausted as we all were, but she was reluctant to stop each morning.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
