voyage

American  

[voi-ij] / ˈvɔɪ ɪdʒ /

noun

1. a course of travel or passage, especially a long journey by water to a distant place.

   Synonyms:

   cruise

2. a passage through air or space, as a flight in an airplane or space vehicle.

3. a journey or expedition from one place to another by land.

4. Often voyages. journeys or travels as the subject of a written account, or the account itself.

   the voyages of Marco Polo.

5. Obsolete. an enterprise or undertaking.

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verb (used without object)

voyaged, voyaging

1. to make or take a voyage; travel; journey.

verb (used with object)

voyaged, voyaging

1. to traverse by a voyage.

   to voyage the seven seas.

voyage British  

/ ˈvɔɪɪdʒ /

noun

1. a journey, travel, or passage, esp one to a distant land or by sea or air

2. obsolete an ambitious project

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verb

1. to travel over or traverse (something)

   we will voyage to Africa

voyage Idioms  

1. see maiden voyage.

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Related Words

See trip ¹.

Other Word Forms

• outvoyage verb (used with object)
• revoyage noun
• unvoyaging adjective
• voyager noun

Etymology

Origin of voyage

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ve(i)age, viage, voyage, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin viāticum “travel-money”; viaticum

Explanation

If someone tells you "bon voyage!" they mean have a good trip. Voyage means trip in French but in English, we use it to mean a long journey. Though voyage is usually used literally to mean a long and exciting journey or a trip that involves sailing such as a cruise, it can be used figuratively as well. Researching your family tree might become a voyage of self-discovery, taking you places you don't expect and teaching you more about yourself than you thought possible.

Example Sentences

From tolls as steep as $2 million per ship External link to exorbitant insurance rates External link for the risky voyage, many ship operators aren’t willing to traverse the strait even if technically it’s open.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

You could, for example, book a return voyage on the Queen Mary for $2,500 per person for an interior cabin.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

Buyers on the West Coast have to offer incentives for foreign sellers to make the voyage during a high-risk period, said Cummings, the Stanford researcher.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

“This is a voyage of exploration, not lunar science and that’s fine!”

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

The discovery of the historic document led to further research in Europe, Brazil, and Mozambique in search of facts about the São José and its ill-fated voyage.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler