Voyager

American  

[voi-uh-jer] / ˈvɔɪ ə dʒər /

noun

1. one of a series of U.S. space probes that obtained scientific information while flying by the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus.

---

Voyager British  

/ ˈvɔɪədʒə /

noun

1. either of two US spacecraft that studied the outer solar system; Voyager 1 visited Jupiter (1979) and Saturn (1980), Voyager 2 visited Jupiter (1979) and Saturn (1981) and made the first flyby of Uranus (1986) and Neptune (1989)

---

Explanation

A voyager is someone who goes on a long trip, especially if he travels in a ship. Historically, voyagers have often been explorers. A voyage is a long trip to a faraway land, and people who go on voyages are called voyagers. You're most likely to find this word describing sea travelers, like the explorers Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan. Because of its association with long, uncertain journeys, the word voyager has often been used for naming spaceships in science fiction and real life. Voyager has a Latin root, viaticum, which means "a journey."

Example Sentences

The only spacecraft to visit was Voyager 2, which flew past the planet about 40 years ago.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

The RAF Voyager is the giant petrol station in the sky for the Typhoon and F-35 jets which have been patrolling the skies over Cyprus and Jordan for the past month.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Godyn projects $250 million in 2026 sales, higher than expected, driven by Voyager winning a missile propulsion contract and work on the Golden Dome.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Mr. Farrington is an editor at Now Voyager.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Voyager approaches Jupiter with the moons Io and Callisto in foreground.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• commuter
• customer
• fare
• patron
• pilgrim
• rider
• tourist
• traveler