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Synonyms

trekking

American  
[trek-ing] / ˈtrɛk ɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act of traveling or migrating slowly or with difficulty, as through rough or unsettled territory.

    Arduous trekking through the Alleghenies caused their Conestoga wagons to break down again and again.

  2. the act of hiking long distances as a recreational activity, especially over rough terrain.

    The three hours of hard trekking over the tough trail is worth it for the splendid view of the valley.

  3. the act of making a relatively short but difficult or burdensome trip.

    I moved back into a city apartment because I got tired of all the trekking back and forth and the aggravation of having a house and car.


adjective

  1. traveling, migrating, or hiking over rough terrain, or making any other difficult or burdensome trip.

    The overuse of resources by trekking tourists is contributing to environmental harm in Nepal and elsewhere.

Etymology

Origin of trekking

First recorded in 1845–50; trek ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses; trek ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective sense

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.

He’s trekking Greenland, threatening to make it America’s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

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.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

After five hours of trekking he said "I was about to give up and then walked down another path and found it."

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

Whitney in April 2024 began with Brambila chiding himself for forgetting his trekking poles in the car.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2025

For a while, Spurge argued, but Werfel kept trekking across dry pastures, and Spurge kept following him, pleading, until the city of Tenebrion was just a distant dot behind them on the horizon.

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin