trek

[ trek ]

verb (used without object)

, trekked, trek·king.

1. 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.

2. to hike long distances as a recreational activity, especially over rough terrain:

   He's trekked through the Himalayas and summited Mt. Kilimanjaro.

3. to make a short but difficult trip on foot:

   We trekked back to our hotel in the pouring rain.

4. South Africa. to travel by ox wagon.

verb (used with object)

, trekked, trek·king.

1. South Africa. (of a draft animal) to draw (a vehicle or load).

noun

1. a slow or difficult journey, hike, or trip.
2. South Africa.
   1. a migration or expedition, especially by ox wagon.
   2. a stage of such a journey, between one stopping place and the next.

trek

/ trɛk /

noun

1. a long and often difficult journey
2. a journey or stage of a journey, esp a migration by ox wagon

verb

1. intr to make a trek
2. tr (of an ox, etc) to draw (a load)

Derived Forms

• ˈtrekker, noun

Other Words From

• un·trekked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of trek¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of trek¹

C19: from Afrikaans, from Middle Dutch trekken to travel; related to Old Frisian trekka

Example Sentences

Writer Leath Tonino devised a 200-mile solo desert trek, following the path of the legendary cartographer who literally put these contentious canyons on the map.

From Outside Online

So, we just made the decision to continue on with the trek, but to do it as conscientiously and as low-impact as possible.

From Outside Online

He says that the team was able to show microbes would be able to survive the trek from Mars to Earth without shielding from the dangers of space if they clump together.

From Popular-Science

During their latest trek they checked these survey stakes and determined the speed with which the ice masses creep.

From Science News

Until now, measuring these effects has required arduous treks through trackless swamps.

From MIT Technology Review

During his trek, Brinsley twice passed within a block of a police stationhouse and he almost certainly saw cops along the way.

From The Daily Beast

The audience--tout Hollywood--stands to cheer his slow and painful trek from the wings to the table.

From The Daily Beast

Overall, few travelers have made the trek into the desert of Sudan to see these architectural wonders.

From The Daily Beast

In fact, some feminist critics have pointed to a long history of objectification in Star Trek.

From The Daily Beast

Horst Ulrich, a 72-year-old German on a trek with a group of friends, watched four Nepali guides swept away by an avalanche.

From The Daily Beast

If his partner's impedimentia was not too bulky, the ancient model was ready for another trek to the hills.

From Project Gutenberg

The mountaineers, indeed, suffered less than the townsfolk as being more accustomed than they to conditions of trek and battle.

From Project Gutenberg

The cool morning air made it bearable for man and beast to trek.

From Project Gutenberg

By the third day of their trek southward along the Great River, the soles of Redbird's moccasins had worn through.

From Project Gutenberg

Once more was there a cracking of whips, and the oxen, straightening out along the trek-touw (Note 3), moved reluctantly on.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• expedition
• hike
• odyssey
• trip