trek
Americanverb (used without object)
-
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.
-
to hike long distances as a recreational activity, especially over rough terrain.
He's trekked through the Himalayas and summited Mt. Kilimanjaro.
-
to make a short but difficult trip on foot.
We trekked back to our hotel in the pouring rain.
-
South Africa. to travel by ox wagon.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a slow or difficult journey, hike, or trip.
-
South Africa.
-
a migration or expedition, especially by ox wagon.
-
a stage of such a journey, between one stopping place and the next.
-
noun
-
a long and often difficult journey
-
a journey or stage of a journey, esp a migration by ox wagon
verb
-
(intr) to make a trek
-
(tr) (of an ox, etc) to draw (a load)
Other Word Forms
- trekker noun
- untrekked adjective
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
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.
Smoke’N Ash BBQ – A bit of a trek from downtown, but absolutely worth it.
From Salon
It takes magical thinking to grow anything in the harsh desert environment, which is why artists have been making the trek for decades.
From Los Angeles Times
I hop into my seat at the front of the bus as he starts yelling about the last two hours of our trek and to let our parents know now so they can coordinate pickups.
From Literature
![]()
Sora transfixed the tech world by creating seemingly realistic videos of everything from woolly mammoths trekking across a snowy field to a stylish woman walking down a Tokyo street filled with glowing neon signs.
Most tourists make the trek from Lisbon to Sintra, the Unesco-designated site of the curiously Arabesque summer palace built by Portuguese kings.
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.