travel noun meaning

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[ trav - uh l ]

verb (used without object)

to travel for pleasure.

• to move or go from one place or point to another.
• to proceed or advance in any way.
• to go from place to place as a representative of a business firm.

He travels in a wealthy crowd.

• Informal. to move with speed.
• to pass, or be transmitted, as light or sound.
• Basketball. (of a player in possession of the ball) to take more than two steps without dribbling or passing the ball.
• to move in a fixed course, as a piece of mechanism.

verb (used with object)

• to travel, journey, or pass through or over, as a country or road.

We traveled a hundred miles.

to travel logs downriver.

to travel to other planets.

to set out on one's travels.

a book of travels.

• such an account or work.

an increase in travel on state roads.

• Basketball. an instance of traveling with the ball.
• the complete movement of a moving part, especially a reciprocating part, in one direction, or the distance traversed; stroke.
• length of stroke.

to reduce the travel of food from kitchen to table.

a travel alarm clock.

/ ˈtrævəl /

she travelled across France

he travels to improve his mind

he travelled the country

• to go, move, or cover a specified or unspecified distance

to travel in textiles

• (esp of perishable goods) to withstand a journey

the sound travelled for miles

• to progress or advance
• basketball to take an excessive number of steps while holding the ball
• (of part of a mechanism) to move in a fixed predetermined path

that car certainly travels

• informal. often foll by with to be in the company (of); associate
• the act of travelling

a travel brochure

• usually plural a tour or journey
• the distance moved by a mechanical part, such as the stroke of a piston
• movement or passage

Spelling Note

Other words from.

• travel·a·ble adjective
• non·travel·ing adjective
• non·travel·ling adjective
• outtravel verb (used with object) outtraveled outtraveling or (especially British) outtravelled outtravelling
• pre·travel noun verb pretraveled pretraveling or (especially British) pretravelled pretravelling
• un·travel·ing adjective
• un·travel·ling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of travel 1

Example Sentences

López said she could not travel to Mexico because she is undocumented.

Sound waves traveling thousands of kilometers through the ocean may help scientists monitor climate change.

Biden traveled to the state days later, meeting with the Blake family and calling for unity and healing in the community, though he, too, denounced the violence that followed the shooting.

TripActions says it has added nearly 500 new corporate customers since March, a surprising achievement at a time when most employees are still not traveling freely.

The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, which was first identified in China in December, has had sweeping effects in the public health, business, and travel sectors, among others.

You just travel light with carry-on luggage, go to cities that you love, and get to hang out with all your friends.

He did travel to China and Australia while the story was unfolding.

In doing so he exposed the failure of other airlines in the region to see the huge pent-up demand for cheap travel.

“The tribe is really made of people who put travel as a priority in their entire lifestyle,” says Evita.

Brands like Lo & Sons and Delsey are already tapping Travel Noire to connect with black travelers.

One thing was certain: Grandfather Mole could travel much faster through the water than he could underground.

The mothers know better than any one else how hard a way the little girl will have to travel through life.

He could lie in bed and string himself tales of travel and adventure while Harry was downstairs.

Under ordinary circumstances these men can travel with their burden from twenty to thirty miles a day.

The rules regulating travel on highways in this country are called, "the law of the road."

Related Words

• sightseeing

Definition of 'travel'

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travel in British English

Travel in american english, examples of 'travel' in a sentence travel, cobuild collocations travel, trends of travel.

View usage for: All Years Last 10 years Last 50 years Last 100 years Last 300 years

Browse alphabetically travel

• Travancore-Cochin
• travel a distance
• travel a route
• travel abroad
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'T'

Related terms of travel

• rail travel
• safe travel
• time travel
• View more related words

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More results

• travel well
• well-travelled
• time travel
• travel agency
• travel agent
• travel bureau
• travel expense

Explore topics

• traveler: a person who travels.

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Travel Definition

• move around
• cover ground
• stay in place
• peregrination
• itineration
• commutation
• change of location

Other Word Forms of Travel

Origin of travel.

Middle English travelen (“to make a laborious journey, travel") from Middle Scots travailen "to toil, work, travel", alteration of Middle English travaillen (“to toil, work"), from Old French travailler (“to trouble, suffer, be worn out"). See travail . Displaced native Middle English faren (“to travel, fare") (from Old English faran (“to travel, journey")), Middle English lithen (“to go, travel") (from Old English līþan (“to go, travel")), Middle English feren (“to go, travel") (from Old English fÄ“ran (“to go, travel")), Middle English ȝewalken, iwalken (“to walk about, travel") (from Old English Ä¡ewealcan (“to go, traverse")), Middle English swinken (“to work, travel") (from Old English swincan (“to labour, work at")). More at fare .

From Wiktionary

Middle English travelen alteration of travailen to toil from Old French travailler travail

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Travel Sentence Examples

I would like to travel there.

Travel the way you wish to go.

When you travel , you can take your work with you.

I travel tomorrow morning with my counselors.

You are fond of travel , and in three days you will see Moscow.

Related Articles

Travel Is Also Mentioned In

• Schwartz, Randal Case
• special-service-requirement
• globetrotting

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to travel using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words ending with, unscrambles, words starting with t and ending with l, word length, words near travel in the dictionary.

• travel adapter
• travel-agency
• travel-agent

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Definition of travel verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• I go to bed early if I'm travelling the next day.
• + adv./prep. to travel around the world
• I love travelling by train.
• We always travel first class.
• I travel abroad a lot.
• They travelled on the bus to and from work together.
• We travelled to California for the wedding.
• They enjoy travelling to other European countries.
• My client travels extensively on business.
• When I finished college I went travelling for six months (= spent time visiting different places) .
• travel something As a journalist, she has travelled the world .
• He travelled the length of the Nile in a canoe.
• I travel 40 miles to work every day.
• They travelled huge distances in search of food.
• Many residents must travel long distances to a grocery store.
• He travels back and forth across the Atlantic.
• He travels with a huge entourage.
• I prefer travelling independently to going on a package holiday.
• She travels widely in her job.
• The dissidents were unable to hold meetings or travel freely.
• The job gives her the opportunity to travel abroad.
• We decided to travel by car.
• We had to travel separately as we couldn't get seats on the same flight.
• We plan to travel through Thailand and into Cambodia.
• business people who travel regularly to the US
• information for the backpacker who wants to travel farther afield
• Children under five travel free.
• I spent a year travelling around Africa.
• More people travel by air than ever before.
• We travelled the length and breadth of the country.
• We've travelled a long way in the past few days.
• Hundreds of hospital patients may have to travel long distances for treatment.
• freedom to travel
• go travelling/​traveling
• travel all over the world

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travel noun

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What does the noun travel mean?

There are eight meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun travel , one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

How common is the noun travel ?

How is the noun travel pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun travel come from.

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the noun travel is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for travel is from before 1400, in Cursor Mundi: a Northumbrian poem of the 14th century .

It is also recorded as a verb from the Middle English period (1150—1500).

travel is a variant or alteration of another lexical item.

Etymons: travail n. 1

Nearby entries

• travailous, adj. a1382–
• travailously, adv. a1382–1881
• travail pain, n. 1662–
• travail pang, n. 1652–
• travailsome, adj. 1549–
• travale, n. 1798–1876
• travature, n. 1730
• travaux préparatoires, n. 1880–
• trave, n. c1405–
• trave harness, n. 1839
• travel, n. a1400–
• travel, v. c1300–
• travel agency, n. 1898–
• travel agent, n. 1885–
• travel allowance, n. 1835–
• travelator, n. 1955–
• travel brochure, n. 1908–
• travel bug, n. 1907–
• travel bureau, n. 1884–
• travel card, n. 1916–
• travel centre | travel center, n. 1883–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for travel, n..

travel, n. was revised in March 2020.

travel, n. was last modified in September 2024.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

• further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into travel, n. in September 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1914)

• Find out more

OED Second Edition (1989)

• View travel, n. in OED Second Edition

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Citation details

Factsheet for travel, n., browse entry.

Synonyms of travel

• as in to trek
• as in to traverse
• as in to fly
• as in to associate
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Thesaurus Definition of travel

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Synonyms & Similar Words

• peregrinate
• road - trip
• knock (about)
• perambulate
• pass (over)
• cut (across)
• proceed (along)
• get a move on
• make tracks
• shake a leg
• hotfoot (it)
• fast - forward

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hang (around or out)
• slow (down or up)
• collaborate
• take up with
• keep company (with)
• rub shoulders (with)
• fall in with
• pal (around)
• rub elbows (with)
• mess around
• be friends with
• interrelate
• confederate
• cold - shoulder

Thesaurus Definition of travel  (Entry 2 of 2)

• peregrination
• commutation

Examples of travel in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'travel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Thesaurus Entries Near travel

Cite this entry.

“Travel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travel. Accessed 10 Sep. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on travel

Nglish: Translation of travel for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of travel for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about travel

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Meaning of travel – Learner’s Dictionary

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travel verb ( MAKE A JOURNEY )

• It costs less if you travel at the weekend .
• We hired a car so we could travel further afield .
• I have travelled extensively in Europe .
• They travelled the length and breadth of Scotland together.
• It's a film about the adventures of two friends travelling across Africa .

travel verb ( MOVE )

• Space travel may become very common in the near future .
• The price includes travel and accommodation .
• The travel company completely fouled up our holiday .
• They offer a 10 percent discount on rail travel for students .
• Over the years I've lost my taste for travel.

(Definition of travel from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of travel

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Word of the Day

to put your arms around someone and hold them in a loving way, or (of two people) to hold each other close to show love or for comfort

Like a bull in a china shop: talking about people who are clumsy

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• travel (MAKE A JOURNEY)
• travel (MOVE)
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noun as in journey

Strongest matches

• sightseeing

Strong matches

• commutation
• peregrination

Weak matches

• globetrotting

verb as in journey on a trip or tour

• cover ground
• get through
• go into orbit
• knock around
• make a journey
• make one's way
• take a boat
• take a plane
• take a train
• take a trip

Example Sentences

You just travel light with carry-on luggage, go to cities that you love, and get to hang out with all your friends.

He did travel to China and Australia while the story was unfolding.

In doing so he exposed the failure of other airlines in the region to see the huge pent-up demand for cheap travel.

“The tribe is really made of people who put travel as a priority in their entire lifestyle,” says Evita.

Brands like Lo & Sons and Delsey are already tapping Travel Noire to connect with black travelers.

One thing was certain: Grandfather Mole could travel much faster through the water than he could underground.

The mothers know better than any one else how hard a way the little girl will have to travel through life.

He could lie in bed and string himself tales of travel and adventure while Harry was downstairs.

Under ordinary circumstances these men can travel with their burden from twenty to thirty miles a day.

The rules regulating travel on highways in this country are called, "the law of the road."

Related Words

Words related to travel are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word travel . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

verb as in tour

verb as in flow

• mill around
• move around

noun as in systems of information exchange

• information technology
• public relations
• telecommunications

verb as in make good time

• make headway
• make strides

verb as in sail

• keep steady pace
• push off/push on
• wander about

Viewing 5 / 93 related words

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.