trek

[trek]

See more synonyms for trek on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), trekked, trek·king.

to travel or migrate, especially slowly or with difficulty.
South Africa. to travel by ox wagon.

verb (used with object), trekked, trek·king.

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

noun

a journey or trip, especially one involving difficulty or hardship.
South Africa. a migration or expedition, as by ox wagon.
South Africa. a stage of a journey, especially by ox wagon, between one stopping place and the next.

Origin of trek

1815–25; < Afrikaans < Dutch trek (noun), trekken (v.) to draw (a vehicle or load), migrate

Related formsun·trekked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for trek

hike, trip, odyssey, expedition, traipse, tramp, migrate, trudge, plod, slog, roam, peregrination, march, travel, footslog, hegira, walk, range, rove, foot

Examples from the Web for trek

Contemporary Examples of trek

During his trek, Brinsley twice passed within a block of a police stationhouse and he almost certainly saw cops along the way.
Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours
Michael Daly
December 31, 2014
Overall, few travelers have made the trek into the desert of Sudan to see these architectural wonders.
Egypt Ain’t The Only Pyramid Show In Town
Nina Strochlic
December 11, 2014
Horst Ulrich, a 72-year-old German on a trek with a group of friends, watched four Nepali guides swept away by an avalanche.
Nepal’s Deadliest Avalanche Was Totally Avoidable
Dick Dorworth
October 20, 2014
People like me could work on them at our offices instead of having to trek out to College Park to listen to them every day.
Going Public With the Nixon Tapes
Scott Porch
August 7, 2014
Next step: Sykes will trek in the Himalayas to discover a live yeti.
Sorry Bigfoot Truthers: Yetis Aren’t Real
Elizabeth Picciuto
July 3, 2014

Historical Examples of trek

But you see, sir, our time is up, and we have determined not to go on the trek any more.
On the Heels of De Wet
The Intelligence Officer
Two others, that women had been confined while on the trek in wagons.
The War in South Africa
Arthur Conan Doyle
They were to trek a little after dawn, and already Robert and Benita were up and waiting.
Benita, An African Romance
H. Rider Haggard
Our own people are with them, and show them how to trek in the night, and where the footpaths are.
The Peace Negotiations
J. D. Kestell
To meet him and his family on trek is to glimpse an epitome of his life.
Pan-Islam
George Wyman Bury

British Dictionary definitions for trek

trek

noun

a long and often difficult journey
Southern African a journey or stage of a journey, esp a migration by ox wagon

verb treks, trekking or trekked

(intr) to make a trek
(tr) Southern African (of an ox, etc) to draw (a load)

Derived Formstrekker, noun

Word Origin for trek

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

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 trek

1849 (n.); 1850 (v.), "to travel or migrate by ox wagon," from Afrikaans trek, from Dutch trekken "to march, journey," originally "to draw, pull," from Middle Dutch trecken (cf. Middle Low German trecken, Old High German trechan "to draw"). Especially in reference to the Groot Trek (1835 and after) of more than 10,000 Boers, who, discontent with the English colonial authorities, left Cape Colony and went north and north-east.