traverse
[ trav-ers, truh-vurs ]
/ ˈtræv ərs, trəˈvɜrs /
verb (used with object), trav·ersed, trav·ers·ing.
to pass or move over, along, or through.
to go to and fro over or along.
to extend across or over: A bridge traverses the stream.
to go up, down, or across (a rope, mountain, hill, etc.) at an angle: The climbers traversed the east face of the mountain.
to ski across (a hill or slope).
to cause to move laterally.
to look over, examine, or consider carefully; review; survey.
to go counter to; obstruct; thwart.
to contradict or deny.
Law.
- (in the law of pleading) to deny formally (an allegation of fact set forth in a previous pleading).
- to join issue upon.
to turn and point (a gun) in any direction.
verb (used without object), trav·ersed, trav·ers·ing.
to pass along or go across something; cross: a point in the river where we could traverse.
to ski across a hill or slope on a diagonal.
to turn laterally, as a gun.
Fencing.
to glide the blade toward the hilt of the contestant's foil while applying pressure to the blade.
noun
the act of passing across, over, or through.
something that crosses, obstructs, or thwarts; obstacle.
a transversal or similar line.
a place where one may traverse or cross; crossing.
Architecture.
a transverse gallery or loft of communication in a church or other large building.
a bar, strip, rod, or other structural part placed or extending across; crosspiece; crossbar.
a railing, lattice, or screen serving as a barrier.
Nautical.
- the zigzag track of a vessel compelled by contrary winds or currents to sail on different courses.
- each of the runs in a single direction made in such sailing.
Fortification.
- a defensive barrier, parapet, or the like, placed transversely.
- a defensive barrier thrown across the terreplein or the covered way of a fortification to protect it from enfilade fire.
Gunnery.
the horizontal turning of a gun so as to make it point in any required direction.
Machinery.
- the motion of a lathe tool or grinding wheel along a piece of work.
- a part moving along a piece of work in this way, as the carriage of a lathe.
Surveying.
a series of intersecting surveyed lines whose lengths and angles of intersection, measured at instrument stations, are recorded graphically on a map and in numerical form in data tables.
Compare closed traverse.
Law.
a formal denial of some matter of fact alleged by the other side.
adjective
lying, extending, or passing across; transverse.
Origin of traverse
1250–1300; (v.) Middle English
traversen < Middle French
traverser to cross < Late Latin
trānsversāre, derivative of Latin
trānsversus (see
trans-,
versus); (noun) Middle English
travers(e) < Middle French
traverse (< Latin
trānsversa something lying across, feminine of
trānsversus) and
travers (< Latin
trānsversum passage across, neuter of
trānsversus)
SYNONYMS FOR traverse
OTHER WORDS FROM traverse
tra·vers·a·ble, adjective
tra·vers·al, noun
tra·vers·er, noun
non·tra·vers·a·ble, adjective
re·trav·erse, verb, re·trav·ersed, re·trav·ers·ing.
un·tra·vers·a·ble, adjective
un·trav·ersed, adjective
Words nearby traverse
Example sentences from the Web for traverse
He was known to traverse Brooklyn to visit somebody a decade older than himself in a nursing home.
How Brooklyn’s First Ice Cream Girl Fought City Hall–and Won |Michael Daly |October 13, 2014 |DAILY BEASTThe heat makes beads of sweat run down your armpits and traverse your hips before dampening your drawers.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq |Nathan Bradley Bethea |August 31, 2014 |DAILY BEASTExtend your Fourth of July vacation with a trip to Traverse City, also known as the “cherry capital of the world.”
Elizabeth Banks stars as a woman who has to traverse a city after losing her wallet post-one-night stand.
Maps are enormous, and players have to traverse huge amounts of terrain.
‘Killzone: Shadow Fall’ Review: Oh My God, This PlayStation 4 Game Is Beautiful |Alec Kubas-Meyer |November 19, 2013 |DAILY BEASTWe have a long and very dreary tract to traverse before we reach the Gariep—three hundred miles and more, I should think.
Hair-Breadth Escapes |H.C. AdamsThe very cats of the Convent could not traverse its grounds more silently.
Gwen Wynn |Mayne ReidHorizontally, the head and body traverse an arc of about 100°; vertically, they traverse an arc slightly less than 180°.
Natural History of the Bell Vireo, Vireo bellii Audubon |Jon C. BarlowIn one night they had traveled a distance coming back that required two days and nights to traverse in the other direction.
The Wonder Island Boys: The Mysteries of the Caverns |Roger Thompson FinlayBut they made their escape on the way down to Traverse des Sioux.
Mary and I |Stephen Return Riggs
British Dictionary definitions for traverse
traverse
/ (ˈtrævɜːs, trəˈvɜːs) /
verb
to pass or go over or back and forth over (something); cross
(tr)
to go against; oppose; obstruct
to move or cause to move sideways or crosswise
(tr)
to extend or reach across
to turn (an artillery gun) laterally on its pivot or mount or (of an artillery gun) to turn laterally
(tr)
to look over or examine carefully
(tr) law
to deny (an allegation of fact), as in pleading
(intr) fencing
to slide one's blade towards an opponent's hilt while applying pressure against his blade
mountaineering
to move across (a face) horizontally
(tr) nautical
to brace (a yard) fore and aft
noun
something being or lying across, such as a transom
a gallery or loft inside a building that crosses it
maths another name for transversal (def. 1)
an obstruction or hindrance
fortifications
a protective bank or other barrier across a trench or rampart
a railing, screen, or curtain
the act or an instance of traversing or crossing
a path or road across
nautical
the zigzag course of a vessel tacking frequently
law
the formal denial of a fact alleged in the opposite party's pleading
surveying
a survey consisting of a series of straight lines, the length of each and the angle between them being measured
mountaineering
a horizontal move across a face
adjective
being or lying across; transverse
adverb
an archaic word for across
Derived forms of traverse
traversable, adjective traversal, noun traverser, nounWord Origin for traverse
C14: from Old French
traverser, from Late Latin
trānsversāre, from Latin
trānsversus
transverse